Integrated Pain Management HIT looks back on 2018-19

Professor David Wynick and Lisa Buckle give an update on the work of the Integrated Pain Management Health Integration Team (IPM HIT) in 2018-19

This year our work on the revision and redesign of the chronic pain patient pathway has continued, as part of the wider redesign of musculoskeletal services by Healthier Together, the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (BNSSG STP). This work is focused on the best way to design and deliver chronic pain services.

The first stage is now complete, with full support for and broad stakeholder agreement on delivering appropriate services locally in the community and as early as possible in the pathway.

The pathway redesign has been delayed because of the retendering of one BNSSG integrated community-based service. The new requirements of the chronic pain pathway have been included in this community tender specification where appropriate. Once the tendering process is complete the secondary pain services will be further integrated with those provided by the new community provider.

It’s now been three years since the PROactive (Research, Innovation and Rehabilitation) collaborative was established. Topics covered by recently published research papers include shame and embarrassment in chronic health conditions, experiences of women treated for breast cancer with radiotherapy, and pain acceptance in adolescents. Two large externally funded grants were received in 2018 for studies that involve people living with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).

IPM members have been co-organisers and speakers of two regional events – the South West Macmillan Allied Health Professionals Conference and the South West & Wessex Pain Society Annual Meeting. The Bath Pain Forums have also continued to be a useful resource for showcasing new research and clinical updates, as well as being great networking opportunities.

IPM was set up in 2014 with a focus on research, clinical pathway improvements and education, although core group members had met informally before this. Because of changes in executive membership and a shift in priorities, we are currently paused until the autumn 2019. This will give us the opportunity to re-focus and refresh, and to make decisions regarding the future direction of the HIT.