Manx Care is undertaking consultations with both members of the public and clinicians on Island, to understand their opinions on how chronic pain is managed. Responses will help to inform the development of new services.
The organisation would like to understand whether people experiencing long-term (chronic) pain are given access to the right services to meet their needs, as well as considering the challenges faced by clinicians in their professional practice when supporting this group of patients.
Chronic pain may begin with an injury where the pain does not resolve as expected, but 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).
This pain can range from mild to severe, and can cause low mood, irritability, poor sleep and mobility problems. Additionally, there can be widespread social impacts, including a reduced ability to fulfil familial roles (i.e. caring for children) and loss of income due to difficulty working. Quality of life of both those experiencing pain and their families is therefore a factor.
The public consultation asks those who are experiencing chronic pain/those around them about the services and support provided to them, as well as asking them to consider what further support they would benefit from.
Maria Bell, Pharmaceutical Adviser, said:
'We really would like people’s input into this consultation – it’s so important that we have first-hand views from those affected, and we hope to develop services where we can based on the feedback we gather.'
The aim of these consultations is to develop services to better meet the needs of those with chronic pain – if you or someone you know have experienced chronic pain, please make your voice heard through this consultation, which is open until 6 March 2023.
