Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps NHS England has taken to assist in reducing the incidence of chronic pain.

NHS England estimates that around 14 million people in the United Kingdom, both children and adults suffer with chronic pain. The vast majority of services for people are planned and paid for locally by clinical commissioning groups.

The routine assessment and management of pain is a required competency of all healthcare professionals. Many patients with chronic pain can be successfully supported and managed through routine primary and secondary care pain management services. It is important that patients with the most serious pain management issues are able to access specialist care. A patient whose pain is particularly difficult to manage may be referred to a specialised pain management service. Under the care of an expert multidisciplinary team, patients may be offered specialised pain management programmes specifically and more complex drug treatments. Such services are commissioned nationally by NHS England as part of its remit to deliver specialised services.

To support clinicians in the management of pain, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published several clinical guidelines on the treatment and management of different types of pain, such as migraine and back pain, as well as technical guidance on specific treatments, such as the use of opiates in palliative care and deep brain stimulation for chronic pain.