What to expect from pain services

The pain management team is a multidisciplinary service. That means that there are a number of different professions, Anaesthetic Doctors, Physiotherapists, Clinical Psychologists, Nurses and Occupational therapists working together as a Team.

Our service aims to help those with persistent pain to live the best life they can.

How to access our service:

You can be referred to our service by your GP or other health professional.

 What to expect once you have been referred:

Once you have been referred to us, you will be sent a letter or video and questionnaire.  You will need to read the information or watch the video as it will give you a better understanding of what to expect from our service. You will then need to Opt-in and complete and return the questionnaire. This will help us to find out more about your pain, the impact it is having on your life and what you hope to gain from engaging with our pain management service.  Once you have completed this questionnaire pack and sent it back to us, you will be placed on the initial appointment waiting list.

Initial assessment:

When an appointment becomes available, you will be asked to attend an initial assessment with up to three members of our team. This appointment will cover understanding how your pain began, the impact it is having on your life, ways you have found to cope, what is important to you and how you would like your life to look if pain was having less of an impact on your life.  By the end of the assessment we will hopefully have developed a shared treatment plan, depending on your needs and what the evidence around managing pain tells us. This may involve you being offered further interventions within our service or it may mean that you are referred to another service or back to your GP.

Further Interventions:

If it is felt that you could benefit from interventions within our service, there are various options available.  These may include individual or group based educational sessions, psychological interventions, physiotherapy, medical interventions and medication optimisation. These may be offered face to face or remotely by telephone or video consultation.  Learning more about your pain and developing self-management skills form a key component of what we offer.  Your commitment and willingness to engage with the whole package of care is important. Previous participants tell us that approaching these treatments with an open mind and a willingness to learn new ways can be really helpful.

Please click for key guidance documents and condition specific information.