Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is planning to publish guidelines on the treatment of chronic pain; and if so, when.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published several clinical guidelines on different health conditions which include the treatment and management of pain and chronic pain.

These include low back pain (CG88) and neuropathic pain (CG173). The clinical guideline on low back pain is currently being updated, with an expected publication date of November 2016. Copies of these guidelines have been attached.

NICE has been asked to develop a clinical guideline on pain management for young people and adults, but the schedule for this work has yet to be finalised. The provisional schedule will be made available on the NICE website in due course.