Paediatric patients in the north-east are being forced to travel to Glasgow and Edinburgh for treatment after local services were reduced.
More than 130 young arthritis sufferers have been attending a special clinic at Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, but the retirement of a specialist means families are now being forced to travel to Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow – a round trip of almost 400 miles.
While some patients previously chose to travel to the central belt for acute treatment, the changes mean others are making the journey for the first time to receive vital drugs and care.
Fiona Donaldson, of Auchenblae in the Mearns, attends the clinic with her daughter Anna Sherriffs, who is 13 and has suffered from arthritis since she was three.
She has called on NHS Grampian to restore the clinic to full capability as a matter of urgency.
Ms Donaldson said: “Some children and their families are having to travel to Glasgow or Edinburgh for treatment.
“The times between appointments and new referrals are being severely delayed due to the lack of a consultant.
“Patients in Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital are not receiving the same level of care in other hospitals throughout Scotland due to NHS Grampian management dragging their heels to find a replacement.”
NHS Grampian said it had found someone to run the clinic, but parents are concerned that the paediatrician does not have a specialist interest in rheumatology.
A spokesman said: “NHS Grampian has never had a paediatric rheumatologist – the outgoing consultant is a general paediatrician who has developed special skills in rheumatology, supported by a paediatric rheumatologist at Yorkhill in Glasgow.
“As of November this year, we have appointed a full-time general paediatrician who will care for children with rheumatology as part of their post, and again be supported by the paediatric rheumatologist at Yorkhill. This will deliver an increase in consultant time directed to rheumatology and the patients.”
Tracy Rendall, chairwoman of Scottish Network for Arthritis in Children, said the service gap had placed “a huge burden” on parents and children.
“It is a difficult enough condition to deal with, without having to go to Edinburgh or Glasgow for treatment,” she said.
“If you do not have the drugs you need you are talking about a child who can’t walk, sometimes can’t see and is in crippling pain.”