The Pain Management Service is a multidisciplinary team (MDT) of clinicians who specialise in the treatment and management of patients with varying degrees of persistent and problematic pain. The team includes Consultants, Nurses, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Psychologists and Pharmacists. It is not uncommon for people to be under the care of more than one member of the team at any one time.
We offer a variety of treatment approaches to help people manage their pain. We also aim to educate patients with the knowledge and skills they need to confidently self-manage their condition, in order to enhance their quality of their life. We appreciate that this isn’t easy and does take hard work. However, we find that people who actively engage with their rehabilitation tend to get the better outcomes.
We offer appointments with members of the MDT at a number of different sites across East Lancashire including Burnley and Rawtenstall.
Via the links you will find information about the different professionals within our team, some of the treatments that we offer, information about the locations of our clinics, as well as some comments and feedback we have had from people who have used our service.
The Chronic Pain Service are currently looking at ways to improve their profile and increasing awareness of the service. We would be really grateful if you could spare some time to answer a few questions.
Phone number 01282 803295
Fax 01282 801481
Pain Management Service
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
Edith Watson Unit
Burnley General Hospital
Casterton Avenue
BURNLEY
BB10 2PQ
Below is a list of the different professions that make up our Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) and a brief summary of their roles. It is not uncommon for people to be under the care of more than one member of the team at any one time.
You
The Pain Management Team feel that it is really important for you to be involved in all aspects of your care with us. We work in a collaborative way which means that both you and the team will work together to identify your main difficulties and to find ways of managing these. This takes motivation, commitment and a desire to want to change your life and we are happy to work with you to help you achieve your goals. Although we cannot offer a cure for your pain, you can learn many strategies that will help you to manage your pain effectively so that you are able to have a good quality of life, despite pain.
Consultants
Our consultants are highly qualified and have many years of experience helping people who are living with persistent pain conditions. Some conditions are appropriate to been seen by one of our consultants. If you are referred to them, you will be assessed and the consultant will then discuss the factors contributing to your pain and the possible treatment options.
The treatment options the consultants offer can be very specific to your condition and may not be suitable for all patients. Due to the nature of pain conditions, consultants may not be able to cure you. However, they’ll try to significantly reduce your pain and suffering. For further information about some of the treatments please see the Treatments We Offer link.
Specialist Nurse
The Specialist Nurses work closely with the rest of the MDT to offer a full and comprehensive care package to meet your individual needs. The Specialist Nurses within our team are mostly involved in providing education and giving advice. Their typical working activities include offering consultations following procedures, providing advice on treatments including medications; side-effects and long-term management. The Nurses can evaluate the effectiveness of drug regimes and give advice regarding alternatives to current medication.
They can implement non-invasive treatment options such as Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator (TENS) and External Neuromodulation (EN). For further information about some of the treatments please see the Treatments We Offer link.
Occupational Therapist
Persistent or long-term pain can impact significantly upon physical, emotional and social wellbeing. Occupational Therapy can safely and effectively support and guide people with long-term pain towards the best possible quality of life. Occupational Therapists focus on what people ‘do’. In other words all the activities that occupy us during the day. Persistent pain can affect your ability to engage in the activities that you need to do, want to do, or are expected to do. So if you are struggling with day to day functioning, an Occupational Therapist might be the best person to talk to. They can suggest ways of structuring your day and can provide education and advice on how you approach your activities of daily living.. They can also help you to set goals to get back to meaningful activities like hobbies and interests.
Occupational Therapists have training in relaxation, mindfulness and counselling skills and may be able to suggest and teach strategies that will make it easier to cope with the feelings of loss, anger and other emotional challenges of dealing with pain every day.
Pharmacist
The Pharmacist within our team is mostly involved in providing help and advice regarding your medicines. The aim is to ensure that your medications are safe and effective and that you gain maximum benefit from the medicines that you take. This will typically involve a medication review of all your current medicines and any past medicines which have been ineffective or caused side-effects. Some medications are not suitable for all patients so our Pharmacist will need take into account any other medical conditions. The Pharmacist may then make recommendations to your GP. To help with the review, please bring a list of current medications.
Physiotherapist
Many people with long-term persistent pain have previously been treated by a physiotherapist, sometimes with no long-term benefit. We offer care based on specialist knowledge of treating people with long-term pain. You may find that your Physiotherapist does more listening and talking than ‘doing’, initially.
The main goal is to help you manage your pain and work towards improving your quality of life by increasing your activity levels and flexibility. Patients who have adopted this type of approach can find that pain becomes more manageable. Over the longer-term, with practising this approach, we would expect an improvement in your function and quality of life. For some people this can lead to reduction in pain levels.
Our Physiotherapists can help you to understand the science behind your pain and we can assist you to increase the level of activity you can do comfortably, helping you improve your general fitness levels and overall quality of life.
Psychological support
The Pain Psychology Team consists of Psychologists, Specialist Occupational Therapists and Trainee Psychologists. The aim of psychology support in chronic pain is to help you to manage your condition and improve your quality of life, wellbeing and functioning, in relation to your pain.
You will be assessed by one of the practitioners on our team who will help determine whether you may require further psychological support in the community, in one of our groups or in one-to-one sessions.
We do not offer diagnosis or intervention for primary or long standing mental health problems, however, health psychology can help with:
• Coming to terms with changes in your life relating to your health diagnosis
• Reducing the distress caused by your health symptoms
• Developing your skills in managing your health condition
• Making changes to improve your quality of life
• Improving relationships with other people
• Making decisions about treatments/procedures
• Overcoming barriers to treatment for your health condition
The Administration Team
The Administration Team is a dedicated group of highly skilled administration and receptionist staff who work solely within the Pain Management Service. This means they have a high level of understanding of the service and are able to help you with any questions or queries you have about your care.
They assist in the provision of a comprehensive patient-centred service. Our experienced receptionists provide a professional, patient-focused service to clients attending our outpatient clinics ensuring a high level of customer care at all times. Our administration team deliver effective and efficient business support to the clinicians and multidisciplinary team on a daily basis working with tact, discretion and respect for confidentiality. They provide an invaluable service supporting the wider team which underpins the delivery of the Pain Management Service at ELHT.
The following list covers some of the treatments that can be provided by the Pain Management Service. The Pain Management Team will discuss with you the most suitable treatment option. The treatments offered are very specific to each individual and may not be suitable for all patients. Further details of the treatments offered by individual professionals can be found via the ‘About the Team’ link.
Providing assurance and explanations regarding your pain
We can help you to understand the science behind your pain. We know that understanding your pain can help you with it’s management and reduce the natural concerns some people have regarding their pain. We can also help you understand the diagnosis you have been given and the best ways of managing it.
Offering advice on how to improve your quality of life with your pain
Persistent or long-term pain can impact significantly upon physical, emotional and social wellbeing. Our team can safely and effectively support and guide people with long-term pain towards the best possible quality of life.
We assist you to increase the level of activity you can do comfortably, helping you improve your general fitness levels and overall quality of life.
We can also offer advice relating to managing flare-ups of your pain, returning to work (paid or voluntary), hobbies, and local support groups.
Giving advice on medications and making necessary changes and informing your GP
Our team can review your current list of medication and make suggestions to you and your GP as to the best choices for your pain condition. Not all medicines are suitable for all patients and therefore we may make several suggestions to your GP.
There are different pain medicines depending on the type of pain that needs treating. Pain from inflamed tissues and joints may be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs or medicines containing Paracetamol and Codeine. Pain of nerve origin, however, may need different medication in order to get effective relief by desensitising the affected nerve.
Pain Relieving Modalities
These include
- Injection treatment to target an area of pain and address some of the factors contributing to your pain.
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
TENS is a battery powered electrical unit which uses electrodes placed onto the skin to deliver electrical impulses to the nerve fibres which lie underneath the skins surface.
External Neuromodulation (EN)
This treatment is normally used for neuropathic or nerve generated pain. It uses a very small electrical current through the skin which is applied on the nerves or area responsible for your pain.
If, after specific investigations, you are found to have a fracture or collapse of spine (a very rare condition), your fracture may be suitable for fixation.
Pain Management Programme (PMP)
The PMP is a multidisciplinary evidence-based group programme. The aims of the PMP are to promote behaviour change and well-being in relation to persistent pain. The East Lancashire PMP covers the topics below in order to facilitate improvements in pain management and quality of life:
- Education regarding persistent pain
- Consideration of life values and goals
- Mindfulness skills
- Sleep hygiene
- Pacing activity and overcoming barriers to pacing
- Managing thoughts and emotions
- Communication with friends, family and others
- Education regarding pain medications
- Guided movement sessions
Onward Referrals
Our team can refer you on to other specialists for their expert opinion i.e. Neurology, Neurosurgery, Rheumatology or Orthopaedics, if needed.
We are based in the Edith Watson Unit at Burnley General Hospital. However, we also offer some clinics at Rossendale Primary Health Care Centre.
The majority of first appointments with the service are at Burnley General Hospital, though some Consultants have assessment clinics at Rawtenstall as well. Depending on the treatment plan agreed at this appointment, it may be possible to arrange follow-up appointments at a more convenient site. Unfortunately parking on all sites can be difficult at times so we would advise to leave a little extra time before your appointment to allow for this.
Burnley General Teaching Hospital
Casterton Avenue, Burnely, Lancashire BB10 2PQ
The Pain Management Department is located in the Edith Watson Unit – Area 3 Level 2
How to find the Pain Management Department within the Hospital if arriving via the Casterton Avenue entrance:
- Enter the Edith Watson Unit (to the far left of the Main Outpatients entrance), clearly marked with a pink-edged sign over a set of green sliding doors.
- Turn right through one set of double door
- The Pain Management Department is through a set of double doors on your left. Look for the sign over the door.
How to find the Pain Management Department within the Hospital if arriving via the Briercliffe Road entrance
Please note that we would advise using the Casterton Avenue Entrance as Area 7 is on the far side of the hospital to the Pain Management Department
- Enter through the Main Entrance to Area 7
- Pass the shop and turn left onto the corridor
- Walk along the main corridor until you see the lift on the left with the stairs just past it.
- Take the lift or stairs to the first floor (Level 1)Turn left as you leave the lift/stairs and walk to the end of the corridor
- As you leave the corridor, turn right.
- Continue along this corridor past Theatres and past the entrance to the Women and Newborn Centre until you see the lift on your left – this corridor zig-zags a little. The stairs are a little further along the corridor on the left.
- Go up one floor (Level 2)
- Straight ahead from the lift, or left from the staircase, go along the corridor and down the ramp. The restaurant is on the right.
- Continue straight on through two sets of double doors. This takes you to Area 3 – denoted by pink edges to the signs.
- The Pain Management Department is through a set of double doors on your right just after a set of blue stairs. Look for the sign over the door.
Rossendale Primary Health Care Centre
- Bacup Road, Rawtenstall, Lancashire, BB4 7PL
- How to find the Pain Management Clinic within the Healthcare Centre:
- Enter the Health Care Centre and go up the stairs or in the lift to the 2nd Floor.
- Follow the sign to the Multi-Purpose suite.
- Here you will find the reception for Pain Management. Report to the reception desk and they will go through all your details and book you in for your appointment.
Friends and Family Comments
"The pain team are the best! They are such a dedicated team who work so well together for their patients."
"Very helpful friendly service putting patient needs first and making them feel at ease."
"From walking in I was treated with respect and dignity. Staff very friendly, knowledgeable and re-assuring."
"Staff were very clear and understanding. Happy to help and easy to talk to."
"Grateful Thanks to everybody concerned."
"Friendly staff go that extra mile."
"Everything was spot on."
"Very good care and I was listened to for things I wanted to try and not try."
"Fantastic staff make you feel at ease an treatment super!"
"Staff really friendly and helpful."
"The care from Doctor and staff is marvellous. I would have no hesitation in recommending this department for treatment."
"Very helpful and pleasant."
"Pain Management staff have been very helpful and I have made great progress with lifestyle changes."
"Excellent care and treatment."
Feedback and comments about the Pain Management Programme
"Helpful and Informative."
"Spoke to us and helped us on a personal level."
"Brilliant – I enjoyed the course."
"Very inspiring and educational. Very positive course for everyone."
"The course has been excellent overall and has definitely helped me. Hopefully a new beginning."
"I am very happy with the PMP. All was absolutely brilliant."
"10/10"
"It helps to reframe the way in which you think and manage daily difficulties."
"I found the Pain Management course a very positive experience."
"The sessions were quite well organised with a good mix of physical and thinking of different aspects of our condition."
"The course is excellent for understanding pain and for highlighting techniques to help deal with pain."
"It is helpful to be with people who are suffering with similar problems."