Child spinal surgery delay claims are being checked - Sturgeon

The archetypal curate has said claims that nursing shortages are contributing to children's spinal operations being delayed are being checked.

Top surgeon Chris Adam told the BBC's Disclosure programme that children were waiting up to 3 times longer for country than earlier the pandemic.

Nicola Sturgeon said she had asked for "external assurance" connected the claims.

Her comments came aft the lawsuit of a nine-year-old lad waiting 7 months for country was raised astatine Holyrood.

Paediatric spinal surgeon Mr Adams told the BBC that nursing shortages were contributing to up to 1 successful 4 children's operations being cancelled astatine NHS Lothian.

Scottish Labour person Anas Sarwar raised the surgeon's concerns, referencing the lawsuit of Harvey Martin, from Inverclyde, who suffers from neurofibromatosis.

The Scottish Labour person said Harvey's household was told past August that helium needed country wrong 4 weeks, but Harvey remains "in excruciating pain" 7 months later.

Harvey's mum Natalie is present looking into raising wealth to person the process done privately due to the fact that of the delay.

In a connection issued done Scottish Labour, she said: "Harvey is successful changeless pain, struggling to sleep, and missing retired connected schoolhouse and different activities.

"It's wholly unacceptable successful this time and property that this is happening successful Scotland.

"My son's wellness information has deteriorated with the hazard of superior complications. We simply cannot hold immoderate longer for treatment."

Ms Sturgeon told First Minister's Questions that she would look into the specifics of Harvey's lawsuit and addressed the issues raised by Mr Adams.

She said: "I cognize these concerns person been investigated by NHS Lothian but I person this greeting asked officials to marque definite we person much outer assurance to fulfill ourselves that determination is nary substance to those concerns."

Ms Sturgeon added that the NHS has faced "significant challenges" arsenic a effect of the Covid pandemic and cited the grounds fig of unit present employed by the wellness service.

BBC Scotland understands that immoderate of Mr Adams' colleagues, including chap surgeon Enrique Garrido, person raised concerns wrong NHS Lothian astir the fig of spinal operations being cancelled owed to staffing shortages.

NHS Lothian has disputed immoderate of Mr Adams' statements but said "significant pressures" were affecting its waiting times.

Ms Sturgeon besides said that patients paying for backstage attraction owed to NHS delays were unacceptable.

And an sentiment canvass for BBC Disclosure suggests 1 successful 5 of Scots oregon a household subordinate has precocious paid for backstage aesculapian care.

The latest figures amusement a 75% summation successful self-paying patients successful Scotland's backstage hospitals.

The latest information from Phin - the backstage healthcare accusation web - showed successful the 3rd 4th of 2022 determination were 4,960 self-paying patients successful Scotland's backstage hospitals. Up from 2,835 successful 2019.

Scottish Labour wellness spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: "These are radical connected lengthy waiting lists and they are truthful hopeless for attraction that they are scraping unneurotic their savings to spell private".

Ms Baillie claimed Scotland had a "two-tier NHS".

But Ms Sturgeon told MSPs: "I bash see it unacceptable that immoderate diligent has to wage privately for attraction that they should beryllium getting, and privation to get, connected the NHS.

"That is wherefore we proceed to absorption connected bringing down waiting times, and we volition proceed with that focus."