Impact Review 2024-25: Chronic Pain HIT

Expanding leadership team

Dr Ruth Bartlett joined Dr Jenny Lewis (UWE Bristol) as co-director in 2024. Ruth is the Social Prescribing Lead at Connexus Primary Care Network and has recently set up a Primary Care Pain Clinic within the Network to help improve community-based care for patients with chronic pain.

Supporting opioid reduction for those living with chronic pain

The HIT is producing three new opioid reduction resources: an opioid reduction calculator, Reducing Opioids factsheet for clinicians, and a Reducing Opioids patient workbook and clinician guide to using the workbook. This year, the HIT has been consulting with GPs and community pharmacists about the resources, which aim to launch later in 2025. The HIT is also working with colleagues at Health Innovation west of England to share chronic pain resources.

Addressing health inequalities in chronic pain services and research

The recent Burden of Chronic Pain in BNSSG report identified Weston-Super-Mare as having the highest rate of chronic pain in the region. It also highlighted a diagnosis and care gap for other under-served communities within the region. These insights have led to HIT support for two projects:

1. Developing chronic pain services in Weston-Super-Mare:

The HIT is funding a scoping project to develop chronic pain services in the town, working with a network of DeepEnd GP practices, pharmacies and local public representatives. BNSSG Research Capability Funding has been awarded to develop partnerships with local healthcare providers in managing chronic pain, including opioid de-prescribing, and conduct outreach work with under-represented communities to identify health inequality issues that will inform future research.

The HIT’s opioid reduction resources will also be in piloted in Weston-Super-Mare.

      2. Supporting women of colour experiencing chronic pain:

In November 2024, the HIT supported a workshop for women of colour who experience chronic pain, alongside pain services providers and researchers. The aim was to discuss findings of Nilaari-led research funded by the BNSSG diverse Research Engagement Network, which had interviewed women about their experiences of their pain, including hearing about their interactions with primary health care, and how they talked about their pain.

The workshop was attended by 40 women and representatives from a diverse range of services who work with people with chronic pain. It was an opportunity for women to share their experiences and the barriers they face when accessing services and for professionals to share what is currently available and how to access it.

Funding enabled in 2024-25

Chronic Pain HIT helped secure £2,500 in 2024-25 for projects to generate research evidence, improve outcomes and address health inequalities in the region.