CSP Scotland to press NHS boards for better physiotherapy services for chronic pain

[Northerner]

Healthcare Improvement Scotland is calling on all NHS boards to ensure they have multidisciplinary teams in place to treat patients with chronic pain. As a minimum, the teams must include physiotherapists, specialist doctors, nurses, psychologists and occupational therapists.

In a report published on 28 April, the organisation says that multidisciplinary teams in NHS boards differ considerably in terms of the disciplines involved, the number of whole time equivalent staff and in being truly multidisciplinary.

Five NHS boards out of a total of 14 – NHS Dumfries & Galloway, NHS Tayside and the three island boards of Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland – reported not having the full complement of physiotherapy, medical and other staff.

http://www.csp.org.uk/news/2014/05/...ds-better-physiotherapy-services-chronic-pain

 

[AlisonM]

Well, wouldn't that be nice? This is me not holding my breath though. The NHS in Scotland is deeply compartmentalised and the changes won't be easy to implement, especially with so little funding available.

It's a constant struggle in my life to get the various doctors, nurses and specialists I have to deal with to realise that what happens with one of my conditions affects the others and, if I take this pill with that one, the results could be catastrophic. They're all so focussed on dealing only with their own area. I've been begging for some sort of pain management plan for over a year now and been put on this waiting list and that, with no visible results. It's driving me demented, and so is the pain. If only they would talk to one another.