What happens after your referral?

Your GP, your consultant, or the back and neck service will let you know they are referring you to the chronic pain management service. 

The outcome of this referral will be either of the following:

• If you are offered a first appointment following your referral being processed, the appointment usually lasts for 30 minutes. At this appointment, you will meet with a pain management consultant or specialist nurse. It is helpful if you can bring with you a list of your current medications, how often you take them, and details of the dosage (the amount you take). They will ask you questions about your pain, its effects on your life, what medications you are on, how you currently manage your pain, and about your lifestyle and current circumstances more generally. A questionnaire will be sent out pre-appointment to complete beforehand.
  At this appointment, the consultant or specialist nurse will discuss with you the best course of action. They may make changes to your medication, suggest procedures or interventions, or refer you on to see another professional in the team for more support with pain management. They may also refer you to one of our groups. They may ask you to come back for a review after a few months so they can see how you are getting on, and decide with you whether you need any further input, treatment or support.
  
  
• And based on the information in your referral, you may also be asked to attend the first of our group sessions, which is called ‘Introduction to pain management’. Research and clinical expertise has shown that self-management of chronic pain is one of the best ways to lessen the impact of pain in your life. This approach is seen as being a significant part in the management of your chronic pain/condition. These sessions are held virtually and some face-to-face sessions in the community, run by staff from the pain management service. At the end of this group session, options for further support will be outlined.