Airing Pain 39: National Pain Audit

The state of pain services in England and Wales: the National Pain Audit’s findings revealed

At the launch of the National Pain Audit at the Science Museum in London, Paul Evans talks to people who took a leading role in its development about the need for an audit and what their findings suggest needs to be done in the future.

For the first time, the Audit will make available to patients and healthcare professionals detailed information on local pain management services. Richard Langford and Cathy Price of the British Pain Society discuss the reports findings, including the need for more pain clinics to adopt the minimum international standard for interdisciplinary services. This would enable them to take a biopsychosocial approach to pain management, which, as Richard Langford explains, can make a crucial difference to patients. Cathy Price also discusses how pain clinics could do more to help patients remain in or get back into employment.

We also hear from Christine Hughes and Jean Gaffin, who have both been involved in the campaign for better pain services, about the problem of inconsistent service provision and the need to work towards a national standard.

Issues covered in this programme include: Patient voice, patient liaison, epidemiology, study, pain services, the biopsychosocial model, multidisciplinary, mental health, pain as a condition in its own right, raising awareness, policy and GPs.

Contributors:

• Professor Richard Langford, British Pain Society
• Cathy Price, British Pain Society
• Christine Hughes, Secretary of Pain UK
• Jean Gaffin, Honorary Member of the British Pain Society
• Charles Dobson.

More information:

• For more information on the National Pain Audit and to find out about your local pain services visit: nationalpainaudit.org.