Physiotherapy delays in the north-east have been described as “unacceptable” after a Moray patient had to wait more than six months for an appointment.
Long waiting lists have caused residents to endure lengthy delays before being seen.
One woman in Forres had to wait five months for a telephone assessment by staff at Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin while her pain continued to get worse.
The Scottish Government’s health minister Jeane Freeman has written to Moray MP Douglas Ross, describing the waits as “unacceptably high” – but stressed improvements are already being made with further benefits expected in the coming months.
Mr Ross said: “The catalogue of failures in our health service continues to grow and the buck stops squarely at the SNP Scottish Government’s door.
“While I recognise that NHS Grampian has taken steps to address the physiotherapy waiting lists, too many people in Moray are still facing extremely long waits for appointments with consultants after being referred by their GP.”
In a letter, Ms Freeman explained the waiting times had been caused to vacancies and other factors.
She added: “The service is taking a number of steps on an ongoing basis to mitigate the current shortfall in capacity through proactive recruitment, close working with local higher education institutes and others across Scotland, the use of locum staff and, where appropriate, telephone assessments and verification of waiting lists.”