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Where is the Clinic?
The Pain Management Clinic is in Area S
Billing Road is the closest pedestrian entrance and there is disabled/blue badge parking there for a few cars.
P4 is the closest general parking and it is a 10-20 minute walk from there depending on your ability to walk to the clinic so please ensure you leave plenty of time.
Parking often takes some time, especially for late morning or afternoon clinics.
Hospital Map
Our team
The unit has 5 Medical Consultants, supported by a Specialist Senior Sister, specialist nursing staff, HCAs, Secretarial and Admin staff.
Consultants
- Dr P Bheemappa, FRCA
- Dr K Carter, MBBS BSc (Hons) FRCA DCH FFPMRCA Lead Clinician
- Dr M.Murali-Krishnan, FFARCSI
- Dr S Ramani, FRCA
- Dr B Reddy, FRCA, FFARCSI
Senior Sister
About the unit
We have a self-contained day unit with 6 beds, an operating theatre with its own image intensifier, radiofrequency machine and clinic spaces. “Nessie” is the state of the art database system holding approximately 16000 patient details allowing ready access to patients past details to help with managing their current problems.
Patients with pain of more than 3 month’s duration can seek referral to this unit after triaging by either their own GP or hospital Consultants when appropriate. Patients are initially assessed to explore the most appropriate direction of treatment, which is discussed with them. This may take the form of individual work with one or more members of the Team, to help patients not only understand but also manage their pain and lead their lives as effectively as possible.
Patients are initially assessed, so that a management plan can be organised and appropriate treatment and support offered. Although the team may not be able to cure your pain, they will be able to offer advice and help with different aspects of your pain and may give you some treatment that could help you to manage your pain more effectively.
There are several treatments and interventions that may help, which include medication advice and injections, or onward referral to our physiotherapy colleagues, Back Pain management programmes or community based well-being support services.
Services
Comprehensive Pain Evaluation
- Detailed, pain-oriented history and physical examination (when face to face)
- Discussion of potential differential diagnosis and treatment plan
Pain Medication Management
- single and combination medication trials
Precision, Fluoroscopic Guided Injections for Diagnosis and Therapy
- Medial Branch blocks to Facet Joints with onward Facet Joint Denervation if appropriate
- Nerve Root Blocks and Pulsed Radiofrequency
- Peripheral nerve injections and Pulsed Radiofrequency
- Nerve plexus blockade
- Sympathetic blockade
Outcomes Measurement
- We currently review the outcomes of all procedures using a Paper based Multidimensional Outcome form, given to patients after each procedure.
- You must return it to the clinic (usually at 3 months, but the time various for some procedures, and this will be on the form and explained to you after your procedure by the nursing team). The form will then be reviewed by your team, who will then contact you with further action as indicated. If you have not heard back from the Pain Clinic within 6-8 weeks of returning your form, then please contact the pain clinic to ensure we have received your form.
- We are currently looking into moving to an electronic system but this is in progress.
Appointments
New Patients & Follow Up Consultations
Consultation Format
- The format of your pain clinic consultation will be decided by your clinician.
- Your initial 30-minute consultation will normally be a face-to-face appointment, but there are times when Video or Telephone consultations may be appropriate.
- Your clinic appointment letter will give you details of your appointment so please read it carefully.
- 20 minute follow-up appointments may be with a specialist pain nurse or consultant and may be telephone, video, or face to face. Please check you letter to confirm.
- Text Message Reminder service: You will be sent a text message reminder regarding your appointment. Please may we request that you acknowledge this communication.
- It is important that you keep your appointment or let us know if you cannot or do not want to keep the appointment, so we can reallocate the slot to another patient and avoid the slot being wasted.
- If your appointment is virtual, please ensure you are in a suitable place to take the appointment e.g. in a quiet room with no distraction, and have a relative/friend with you if you think this is helpful for you
Missed / Late appointments
- Missed appointments – if you fail to attend your appointment, the clinician will decide on the next steps in relation to your referral. Your GP will also be advised.
- Late appointments – we do ask that you arrive for your appointment in plenty of time. Please make yourself familiar with the location of the Pain Management Clinicand allow plenty of time for parking. If you are more than 5 minutes late for your appointment you may not be able to be seen due to the time needed for your assessment. Parking issues are predicable unfortunately.
Pre-visit Questionnaires (Isla Care Forms)
- You will be sent a link with pre-visit questionnaire details which you need to fill in before your appointment. This gives your clinician further information to help guide appropriate pain management.
- Remember to bring a list of all your current medications and doses. It would be useful for you to have thought about how each of these medications impacts your pain – pain reduction level with each medication and side effects.
- Any letters relating to your past medical, surgical and pain management history, reports of scans / x-rays done within other Trusts.
Useful Links and Information