Chief Medical Officer calls for increased focus on pain

Arthritis Care today welcomes the Chief Medical Officer for England’s call for more to be done to improve outcomes for people experiencing chronic pain.

Sir Liam Donaldson’s annual report on the state of public health recognises the impact of chronic pain and the fact that services have not kept up with demand. Arthritis Care looks forward to working with government and providers to better deliver the means of tackling both pain and the consequences of pain that are available to us.

It is particularly encouraging that the prevalence and cost of treating arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions have been singled out as having a significant impact. There are nine million people in the UK of all ages with arthritis, many of whom do not have access to the services they need to effectively manage their condition.

The CMO, the UK government's principal medical adviser and the professional head of all medical staff in England, has recommended that the assessment of pain and its associated disability should be included in the Quality and Outcomes Framework for primary care, that the feasibility of a national network of pain clinics should be looked at, and that a model pain service or pathway of care should be developed that is multidisciplinary in nature and takes into account the wider impact of pain on someone’s quality of life.

For more information please visit the website of the Chief Medical Officer for England.