Living with the pain of arthritis is difficult, but imagine if you had to tolerate the pain, without medication, while you waited for diagnosis or treatment.
Patients in Scotland say they are waiting months for treatment for arthritis and for knee replacements because they are not conditions or treatments that are measured in the Scottish government’s waiting time policy.
Long waits for this type of treatment, or treatment for cancer, do not have to be recorded in NHS trusts official figures.
There have been reports of patients waiting a year for an appointment to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis and while this was put down to a shortage of specialists nationwide, many believe it is due to a suggested loophole in official reporting of waiting times.
Hundreds of people are also waiting up to eight months for a scan to detect osteoporosis and are at risk of bone fractures, a risk that increases the longer they wait.
It is important that those suffering from arthritis are diagnosed as quickly as possible to ensure the minimal amount of irreversible damage is caused by the condition. This is particularly true of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease, osteoarthritis, a degenerative form of the condition, and osteoporosis, a condition which weakens the bones and increases the risk of fractures.
The Scottish government have defended the waiting times, saying there are many other patients who are seen faster than before. They say how quickly patients receive treatment is a decision made by doctors – a decision based on the best interests of the patient.
Cancer patients have also reported a long wait for radiotherapy after surgery to remove tumours following a diagnosis of breast cancer.
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