Poster initiative offers help for people with chronic pain

Self-management advice and information for people living with chronic pain is being made available to people across Scotland in their local pharmacy thanks to a campaign run jointly by Pain Concern and Pain Association Scotland with the support of the Scottish Government and Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

The campaign aims to encourage people with pain to ask for advice from their pharmacist, as well as promoting awareness of the information, resources and training available for self-management. Posters and leaflets providing this information have gone up in 1243 community pharmacies across Scotland.

Dr Steve Gilbert, National Lead Clinician for Chronic Pain, said: “Raising awareness of chronic pain will help everyone to get the best advice about pain management and to find ways of really making a difference.”

It is hoped that the posters, prominently displayed in pharmacy windows, will be ideally located to catch the eye of many of the 18% of people in Scotland who the NHS estimates live with chronic pain, and may prompt those who have not previously sought or been able to find the help they need in managing their pain to take action.

Heather Wallace, Chair of Pain Concern, said: “This six-week poster campaign is an important new development in empowering people to self-manage their pain”. She continued; “Never before has all the information been put together like this. By utilising Scotland’s community pharmacies we will reach those people who need it most”.

Visit your pharmacist or the Scottish Pain Management website http://www.knowledge.scot.nhs.uk/pain for more information.

Access a pdf of the leaflet available in pharmacies here