Consultation on the use of medicines and alternative non-medical therapies in chronic pain

Overview

Manx Care would like to understand whether people experiencing long term (chronic) pain are given access to the right services to meet their needs. Your response will help inform the development of new services to better meet the needs of people living with chronic pain. 

Chronic pain may begin with an injury but the pain does not resolve as expected; often it is not clear how the chronic pain started. Common types of chronic pain include lower back pain, pain related to arthritis and pain related to injury of a nerve or other part of the nervous system (neuropathic pain).

Chronic pain can range from mild to severe, and can cause low mood, irritability poor sleep and mobility problems. Chronic pain can affect the quality of life for the sufferer.

Pain also has widespread social impacts. It can make it difficult to continue working, reducing income and make carrying out caring responsibilities difficult, which may reduce the quality of life of the sufferer’s families.

Reference: Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Royal College of Aneasthetists.

Why your views matter

Manx Care are seeking to improve alternative therapies and services to help people suffering from chronic pain, but also to try and educate both the public and healthcare practitioners in limited usefulness of some medicines in this area.

There is now a great deal of evidence to show that each person experiences pain differently and it is crucial to understand how it affects their lives, and to provide people manage their pain better.

What happens next

Manx Care will review the results of the consultation and use the information to work with its healthcare professionals and plan for improvements to alternatives services to support patients living with chronic pain.