Chronic Pain discussed in the House of Lords

On the 6th May 2009, In the House of Lords Lord Luce raised the issue of chronic pain following Sir Liam Donaldson’s report earlier in the year. Lord Luce asked Her Majesty’s Government:

‘What plans they have to implement the recommendations in the Chief Medical Officer’s annual report of 16 March on the management of chronic pain.’

He went on to raise the point that provided people suffering from chronic pain have access to multidisciplinary pain management teams, they can retain much of their independence by managing their own condition. Based on this fact, he questioned whether the government will prioritise the widening of access to high quality pain services.

Baroness Thornton, representing the Government, thanked Lord Luce for raising the issue and insisted that the recommendations made in the CMO’s report had been welcomed and were compatible with current practice in the NHS. She went on to say ‘We are taking action already in line with his recommendations and we will definitely take them further after the National Quality Board has given its advice.’

A further issue was raised by Baroness Gardner of Parkes, concerning the adequacy of the training currently received by nursing staff to deal with chronic pain. Baroness Thornton’s reply stated that the CMO’s recommendations regarding the training of medical staff had been discussed with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, including the consideration of implementing new professional standards into its training directed to improving chronic pain management. The issue of pain in the Elderly was also raised, with Baroness Barker calling for care and nursing home staff to be given the necessary training to develop pain management skills that would improves the lives of those in their care.

The debate was brought to a close by the Baroness Masham of Ilton, who drew the House’s attention to the parliamentary pain group, focusing on raising awareness of chronic pain as a condition in adults and children. The group provides a forum for discussing what improvements can be made to the pain management services, and launched 11th May.