A CAMPAIGNER fighting to reduce waiting times at Dorset County Hospital’s pain clinic says he is ‘cautiously optimistic’ over progress made by health services.

Colin Smith, from Weymouth, said he is encouraged by progress made by the hospital and NHS Dorset on reducing the number of patients who are overdue pain relief injections, despite them not appointing an additional consultant.

Mr Smith and his wife Diane, who both require painkilling injections, have been campaigning on the issue for 20 months and were calling for a third consultant to be provided at the clinic in a bid to tackle the waiting list.

However, a meeting of the hospital’s governors heard additional sessions provided by the existing doctors and new policies put in place for patients have helped to reduce the number of patients who are overdue injections from 535 to 155.

Director for service improvement at NHS Dorset Jane Pike also told governors that the aim was to have addressed all overdue patients by October.

Mr Smith said: “Over the last few years we have had promises that it’s going to be fixed by a certain date and it hasn’t.

“If it does get fixed by October and it stays fixed then I would be very happy.

“I’m cautiously optimistic.”

Mr Smith said he was also encouraged by the fact that GPs were being asked to explore other avenues before sending new patients to the pain clinic and patients who failed to attend for injection appointments were being struck off the list if they failed to provide an explanation.

Mrs Pike also apologised for any confusion created over the addition of a third consultant, with a statement from NHS Dorset in March saying it was looking at the potential of sourcing an additional consultant.

She said the decision was not up to NHS Dorset as it provided funds to Dorset County Hospital and it was the hospital’s decision how to spend it.

Divisional manager for surgery at the hospital Claire Damen said that progress had been made on reducing the waiting lists through the provision of additional hours by existing staff.

She said Dorset County Hospital and NHS Dorset would continue to look at ways to reduce the lists.

She said: “We have been working very closely together and we will not stop until we have stopped this problem completely."