The acute pain service comprises a team of a consultant anaesthetist and two acute pain nurses. They treat pain after procedures, operations or trauma, e.g. cuts, broken bones, medical procedures and short-term back problems.
The service aims to provide excellent and evidence based pain relief such as patient controlled analgesia, epidural and regional analgesia for patients after major surgery. In addition, the acute pain service is available to hospital specialities for advice or referral in order to optimise pain relief.
Our team undertakes daily ward rounds to review patients and analgesic regimes - this also provides education and training for all health care practitioners. The acute pain service works in close collaboration with other services in the hospital such as the chronic pain team and the hospital palliative care team.
Chronic pain outpatient clinic
Chronic pain is a significant cause of suffering in the
UK. Pain becomes chronic when it has lasted more than six months and when it significantly affects your home or work life.
Patients with chronic pain conditions can be referred to the chronic pain clinic. Referrals have to be made by the patient’s
GP or one of the hospital consultants.
The chronic pain clinic is a busy service involving three consultants. Treatments offered include education, advice, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (
TENS), medication, acupuncture, nerve blocks and external neuromodulation.