Written question asked by Lord Lansley (Conservative) on Tuesday, 17 May 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 19 May 2005. It was answered by Jane Kennedy (Labour) on Thursday, 26 May 2005 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps she is taking to improve the treatment and care of those patients with complex regional pain syndrome;

Answer: The Department welcomed the clinical standards advisory group report on pain services, published in April 2000, that made recommendations to trusts and commissioners to review local provision of pain services. Implementation of these recommendations lies with the local national health service trusts and commissioners.It remains the responsibility of primary care trusts to commission services for people with pain, taking account of resources they have available and the needs of their wider populations. Therefore, the quality of services should be monitored locally to ensure it is provided to meet the needs of the local population.The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has reviewed pain management techniques as part of the supportive and palliative care guidance, published in March 2004. This provides a clearer idea of what therapies are effective. This guidance is available on the NICE website at www.nice.org.uk/pdf/csgspmanual.pdf.The Department has no plans to review the provision of pain services in the NHS.

Secondary information