---

Dept of Health

Answer

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to ensure a quality service in all areas in respect of access to pain management services; if he will list those acute hospitals which do not provide a chronic pain service; if he will make it his policy to require the health authorities in each area to provide for constant coverage for pain relief; and if he will make a statement. [122738] Mr. Hutton: Pain management is an important component of care. The Clinical Standards Advisory Group (CSAG) report on pain services, published in April 2000, highlighted variations in access to pain services throughout the country. It made recommendations to national health service acute trusts and commissioners on how pain services should be delivered in order to reduce variations to access. It recommended that primary care trust commissioners should review local provision of pain services, looking particularly at the provision of more specialised treatments on a networked basis. In this review, account should be taken of the needs of both adults and children, and include patients with acute pain resulting from sudden illness or accident, as well as post-operative pain and chronic pain. Trusts should also agree with commissioners the services and resources which are appropriate to meet local needs. The Department of Health does not collect information on those trusts which do not provide a chronic pain service. The CSAG report showed that, in April 2000, chronic pain services existed in 215 acute NHS trusts, which amounts to 86 per cent. of acute trusts in the United Kingdom.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

122738; 408 c654W;408 c652W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Hospitals NHS Medical treatments Pain

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk