Pain and Medicines Management Service

This is a new joint service to combine specialists from the Somerset Community Pain Service (SCPMS) and Somerset Drugs and Alcohol Service (SDAS/Turning Point)

We have created this service to support people with long term pain who have been prescribed opioids and other strong medication and have been taking these for some time. Their pain is still ongoing often with other symptoms and potential side effects affecting their quality of life.

We would like to support people who are motivated and would like to accept our help and advice to manage their pain in other ways and therefore become less reliant on opioids.

We are not here to make people reduce, stop, or take away their medication, though support when they want and are ready to do so. We can work alongside them to offer information, support, better understanding about pain and other symptoms and to liaise with other health professionals such as their GP, pharmacist, and other providers with their consent. In time we hope that some people may be able to reduce their medication with support or have the confidence to manage their pain with healthier self-management approaches, and not seek to escalate their doses or add in other unhelpful prescribed or unprescribed options.

We offer an 8-week virtual group Mindfulness programme called Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Programme (MBSR) facilitated by 2 health care professionals.

This programme supports people to have a better understanding about their pain and physical and emotional responses behaviours. It helps to recognise how high levels of stress can also impact on pain and how to learn to manage with positive changes with our support. Evidence and feedback for MBSR shows that people become more resilient and therefore confident to manage stress, pain, other symptoms, and choose healthier lifestyle options.  MBSR is also helpful to increase confidence in receiving support to reduce or wean their medication.

If patients are suitable and would like to engage, we offer them the following:

Process

1. GP to refer to the Somerset Community Pain Management Service, using a referral form via e-referrals, preferable or by letter or email, following full agreement and discussions with patient. See GP information page  
   Somerset Community Pain Management Service. Working together on my health. | Referring patients to our service (somersetpain.co.uk)
2. The patient’s referral and details will be triaged to the joint service and discussed at a Multidisciplinary (MDT) meeting involving clinicians from both SCPMS and SDAS.
3. Some patients may be offered an introduction group session first to help them gain more information and understanding.
4. Depending on the MDT discussion patients will be invited to a clinic appointment either a virtual video appointment or a face to face at Turning Point (SDAS) 3^rd Floor, Maltravers Way, Petter Way, Yeovil. BA20 1SH. Patients preference will be considered. 
5. The next action plan is discussed and agreed jointly with the patient. This could be opting in for the Mindfulness virtual group, signposting to other services or via SCPM for 1:1 appointment with a clinician or one of our other virtual or self- directed groups. Some people may be appropriate and want to opt in for the clinical psychology service depending on their needs and discussions with the clinicians.
6. We recommend people to use the www.somersetpain.co.uk resources for more information.
   
   Other useful links

Ten Footsteps programme - Live Well with Pain

For Patients and Relatives | Faculty of Pain Medicine (fpm.ac.uk)