Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the provision of NHS-funded programmes for pain management, with particular relevance to those designed for chronic pain conditions.

The Department recognises the significant impact that chronic pain has on individuals and the importance of ensuring that National Health Service‑funded pain management services are effective, accessible and evidence‑based. Integrated care boards (ICBs) commission a range of multidisciplinary pain management programmes across primary, community, and specialist care to help people manage persistent pain. These services include pharmacological and non‑pharmacological interventions, such as physiotherapy, psychological therapies, and supported self‑management.

When commissioning pain management services, ICBs should have regard to the chronic pain guideline published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), reference code NG193, as NICE’s evidence‑based recommendations set out nationally recognised best practice for assessing and treating chronic pain, helping to ensure that commissioned services are safe, effective, and aligned with the highest clinical standards.

The Getting It Right First Time Chronic Pain workstream, introduced in 2025, is reviewing pain services across all care settings to identify unwarranted variation and improve access, equity, and outcomes for people living with chronic pain. This work is aligned with wider NHS and Government plans to promote integrated, proactive, and person‑centred long‑term condition management.

Through the 10‑Year Health Plan, the Government is expanding community‑based services, strengthening multidisciplinary care models, and improving access to diagnostics and specialist input, all of which support better management of long‑term conditions such as chronic pain. These measures will contribute to improving the adequacy and consistency of NHS‑funded pain management services across England.