Written question asked by Andrew Turner (Conservative) on Wednesday, 29 June 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 4 July 2005. It was answered by Liam Byrne (Labour) on Wednesday, 13 July 2005 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Pain Management

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the cost to the economy of sickness absence as a result of pain in 2004–05; if she will take steps to ensure a national standard for the availability of pain management and treatment under the NHS; if she will list pain clinics; and how many patient treatment episodes for pain there were in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Answer: It is not possible to estimate the cost to the economy because information about sickness absence as a result of pain as pain is not collected. We do not intend to develop a national standard for the availability of pain management and treatment under the national health service as the Department published ““Standards for Better Health”” in July 2004, geared to ensuring that high quality care is available to all patients, no matter what condition they are suffering from.Information about pain clinics is not collected centrally. Figures for patient treatment episodes for pain are not available because, pain is not coded separately in the hospital episode statistics.

Secondary information