Scots patients being treated for chronic back pain in England should be given more specialist care closer to home, an MSP has said.
The call was made as figures revealed 21 people were sent to Bath for treatment in the first six months of 2010-11.
The patients were referred to the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases at a cost of about £206,000 over that period.
Labour health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie, who obtained the figures, said it was concerning that the NHS is unable to treat them in Scotland.
She added: “Forcing patients who are already suffering from painful conditions to endure long journeys away from friends and family to receive treatment should be avoided if at all possible. These figures show that it is also very expensive.
“As a matter of urgency, the Health Secretary, Nicola Sturgeon, must look at what can be done to provide patients with appropriate care closer to home.”
Ms Sturgeon supplied the figures following a written question at the Scottish Parliament. Officials said 23 patients were sent to Bath in 2008-09 and 18 were sent in 2009-10, bringing the total cost to more than £620,000.
Ms Sturgeon said: “The Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, in Bath, is a highly specialised residential pain management facility. Scottish patients are referred there if their clinician believes it would be beneficial for their condition. However, we have been looking at the issue of sending people to England for treatment as part of the integrated service model for chronic pain that we’ve been developing.
“We are exploring a range of issues, including whether appropriate management earlier in the treatment journey might remove the need for such referrals, and whether there is a role for a residential pain management facility as part of the overall service provision in Scotland.”
The Government said the number of people sent for treatment at Bath has fallen since a high under the Labour-Liberal Democrat Scottish Executive. The totals for each year changed from 34 in 2005-06 to 33, then 20, the Government said.
The Press Association