One million people suffer from 'preventable pain'

A million people in England suffer from long-term pain which could be prevented or "significantly better" treated, experts have said.

The number of people suffering from persistent pain continues to rise with more people living longer, a report by pharmacists from the UK Clinical Pharmacy Association and University College London (UCL) said.

Conditions such as back disorders, rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis, nerve damage in people with diabetes, cancers and trauma injuries, including the after-effects of surgery, are all common causes of persistent pain. 

Another five to 10 million more people across the UK have conditions which cause them varying levels of intermittent or persistent pain.

Professor David Taylor from the UCL School of Pharmacy said that pain management was "often neglected" despite pain-related disorders costing the country more than £10 billion each year in lost productivity. This is before the personal costs of living with pain are taken into account.

He also added that new payments for GPs linked to pain management, under the Quality and Outcome Framework, could help to promote a better service for patients. 

However, four out of five people already think they should go to pharmacies with pain related problems.

The report called for improved community pharmacy services so that patients have better access to psychological and other non-drug based treatments, and are better informed on the use and side effects of pain-relieving drugs.

It also called for greater public awareness of what types of pain are best being "worked through", and those that need to be dealt with promptly.

This article was published on Wed 11 January 2012