Scots are being left “in agony” ministers have been warned after figures showed a rise in people waiting for pain management treatments.
The number of patients waiting for their first appointment at a pain management service rose by 9.9% to 6,894 as of the end of March.
The number of people waiting more than a year rose sharply in that time, increasing by 25.6% to 157, the data from Public Health Scotland showed.
It also showed the proportion of long waits over 52 weeks decreasing to 2.3% of cases, compared to the quarterly average of 4.9% in 2025.
Overall, the number of patients referred to pain management services in the latest quarter increased by 3.1% to 5,832.
Some 2,770 patients attended their first outpatient appointment in that time period, down 6.1% from the previous three months.
Of those seen at a pain management service in the latest quarter, 49.3% of patients waited 12 weeks or less to be seen, compared to a quarterly average of 55.2% in 2025.
Scottish Labour said the figures showed wait times were “moving in the wrong direction”.
Dame Jackie Baillie, the party’s deputy leader and health spokesperson, said: “Long waits for pain management services are leaving too many Scots in agony for months on end.
“The SNP promised to cut NHS waiting lists and end long waits altogether, but here things are moving in the wrong direction.
“We need urgent action to support these crucial services and get long-suffering patients the help they need, when they need it.”
Health Secretary Angela Constance said: “It is encouraging to see long waits continue to decrease. We recognise there is more to do, including to improve waiting times for first appointments.
“Everyone should be able to access the services they need, when and where they need them and that is why we have provided a record £17.6 billion to territorial health boards for 2026-27.
“We continue to work closely with the NHS to make progress on the issues that people living with chronic pain have told us matter most to them.”