2014 Achievements
ACHIEVEMENTS
Airing Pain radio programme
This ever-popular programme continues our collaboration with Sony award-winning broadcaster Paul Evans and internet disability radio station, Able Radio. There are now over 65 innovative half-hour podcasts on our website, informing and supporting the pain community. In 2014 we broadcast 10 new programmes and independently monitored listener figures show listener numbers for the year of 137,000. Topics have ranged from young people living in families with pain, the Pain Toolkit to EFIC’s conference on the societal impact of pain. An evaluation of Airing Pain showed it to be well received by listeners , with 80% saying they were helped by listening and over 90% saying they would recommend it to others.
Pain Matters magazine
A recent evaluation of our quarterly Pain Matters has shown that it informs and empowers readers by raising awareness, reducing feelings of isolation and boosting self-management skills. It is available in print and electronic format. During 2014, 10,500 copies of Pain Matter’s four editions were distributed.
Leaflets
In 2014 we have published a new leaflet on Managing Medications and a booklet for young carers (see below).
Research
We have planned and completed the first year of a 2-year research project investigating the barriers in primary care settings that hinder people in learning to self-manage their pain. We have presented the results of the 1st year’s research at the March 2015 SPaRC conference in Dundee and on our website. Our poster has been accepted for the 2015 Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Pain Society and they will publish an article in Pain News.
Young carers
In 2014 we undertook a project to support young adult carers supported by the City of Edinburgh Council and NHS Lothian. We produced two radio shows, a CD/booklet package Pain: The Unwanted Guest and we created an online forum dedicated to young carers.
Helpline
We are developing a unique Helpline Pain Training to ensure that helpline volunteers have a thorough understanding of chronic pain and its management as well as call handling and helpline skills. We have an expert advisory board to steer the project, chaired by Dr Meherzin Das, Clinical Lead at Dorset Community Pain Management Service. So far, 30 volunteers have been enrolled in the training pilot. Their feedback will be used to improve the programme in the future.
Demand on the helpline service continues to grow, and nearly 2,000 members of the pain community contacted us through this service in the past year.
Walking for Health
In collaboration with the Health and Social Care Alliance and Glasgow’s Pain Management Programme, we piloted a Walking for Health project, with walks especially adapted for the Chronic Pain Community.
Quality monitoring
We have Information Standard accreditation. This prestigious award ensures that our information meets the quality standard required by the NHS and the Map of Medicine. We are reviewing processes and developing our helpline training in line the requirements of the Helplines Standard, with a view to working towards accreditation.
External affairs
Pain Concern members sit on various top-level policy groups: The International Association for the Study of Pain’s Expert Patient Advisory Group, NHS England’s Clinical Reference Group for Specialised Pain Services, the Scottish Government’s Chronic Pain Steering Group, RCGP’s Pain Group, the Chronic Pain Policy Coalition, Pain UK and National Voices Long Term Conditions Group.
Marketing and Publicity
It is important that we reach as many people as possible. Our marketing team has built solid communication channels with 30 pain clinics across UK. In addition to holding and distributing our materials, several clinics in Scotland have also organised regular information sessions, where our volunteers are on site to meet with patients and healthcare professionals to provide information and signposting.
We had exhibition stands at the British Pain Society’s 2014 Annual Scientific Meeting in Bournemouth and at the World Congress of Pain in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We also attended many local self-management days throughout Scotland.
Collaboration
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapists co-badged their Physiotherapy Works chronic pain briefing, which goes to healthcare professionals. NHS Grampian and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are producing jointly branded editions of A Guide to Managing Pain to be distributed in their Health-point facilities. We are collaborating with NICE on publishing information on neuropathic pain. We have produced a section of a chapter for the Royal College of Anaesthetists Faculty of Pain Medicine publication ‘Standards for the Provision of Pain Services’. The section is Chapter 5 – Patient Pathway: Communication with patients.
LOOKING AHEAD
Incorporating
Demand for our support continues to increase so to ensure that we can meet future demands; we are registering as a company limited by guarantee.
Pain Training
We have been collaborating with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to set up and deliver a pain training, developed by the NHS, in a primary care setting. Work is almost complete. The pain training will allow us to reach people earlier in their diagnosis and ensure that they have the basic information they need to understand and manage their condition.
Media Projects
We have been awarded a grant to produce a radio programme and an article on Female Genital Mutilation. The focus will be on its long-term impact and how it often results in long term pain. And – linked to our research project – we will produce a radio programme and a video aimed at empowering people to improve their self-management skills and, importantly, to improve communication with their healthcare professionals.
