Trust clinician leads on launch of new guidelines

A clinician with Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust has led on putting together new national guidelines to support people who suffer pain.

Dr Chris Barker, Clinical Lead at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust’s Community Pain Service in Southport and Formby and chair of the CRPS Guideline Development Panel, has played an instrumental role in bringing together a UK panel of experts representing a variety of healthcare specialists and professions in coming up with the new guidelines.

The 28 member panel was established by Dr Barker and Dr Andreas Goebel, consultant and senior lecturer in Pain Medicine at The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust.

According to the guidelines, which were published on 23 July by the Royal College of Physicians at an event held at the House of Commons, patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) need better diagnosis, treatment and management of their condition from a wide variety of healthcare professionals.

Dr Chris Barker, Clinical Lead at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust’s Community Pain Service, said:

“We’re so delighted to have launched these guidelines that are supported by a range of organisations and we’re confident that they will help to ensure coherent, transparent, and safe care for patients with this often very painful condition. These guidelines help to raise the profile of CRPS and provide an excellent evidence-based framework to support healthcare professionals in delivering timely and appropriate care.”

The guidelines – entitled “Complex regional pain syndrome in adults: UK guidelines for diagnosis, referral and management in primary and secondary care” – provides guidance on diagnosis, treatment, management and support for patients in a wide variety of clinical settings.

The launch event was also attended by MP for Milton Keynes South Iain Stewart, and supported by the Royal College of Physicians and patient charities the CRPS UK Clinical & Research Network and Burning Nights.

CRPS is a condition in which patients experience persistent severe and debilitating pain in a limb, often accompanied by other symptoms like sensitivity to touch, swelling and lack of movement.  

The guidelines are available to download from the CRPS Network website on www.crpsnetworkuk.org.