Once the Pain Management Team have received your referral, it will be triaged to an appropriate Health Care Professional, and you will receive a letter to confirm that your referral has been received.
You will then receive another letter asking you to contact the team to make an appointment if you still require one. An assessment will then be booked with one of the team to work with you to see what support is available to help you manage your pain.
Prior to your first appointment you will be asked to fill out a questionnaire. The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) is used to assess the severity of pain and the impact of the pain on your daily functions. This helps the Health Care Professional gain a greater understanding of how the pain is affecting you. You will be asked to provide the numbers of your answers to your Health Care Professional at the start of your assessment.
Initial assessments are usually done on the telephone. Please ensure you are in a private and quiet location for your telephone appointment so that you can talk freely, and you are able to answer the sensitive and personal questions that may be asked as part of your assessment. Also try to be somewhere that has good telephone or internet connection. If you are not in a suitable location, then your appointment may have to be rearranged for a more convenient time.
If there is someone else with you listening to the phone call, please make your Health Care Professional aware of this so that it can be documented in your notes.
The best outcomes happen when we work together. Being prepared for your appointment will help both of us get the most out of your appointments:
- Think about what you are expecting from the appointment and have some clear goals about what you want to achieve.
- Be prepared to answer questions, and think of some questions you may want to ask. It’s ok not to know
- Make a note of all your current medications and any other health conditions you have/have had in the past
- Be open minded and flexible to thinking differently about managing pain
- Be willing to make some changes for your management strategies to be most effective
You and your Health Care professional will come up with a plan together to identify the best way forward to living better with your pain. This will be summarised in a tailored letter that will be sent out to you after your initial appointment and it will outline the next steps that have been agreed.
Please have the following with you:
- A list of your current drugs/medicines.
- Depending if your appointment is telephone, video or face to face, wear or bring appropriate clothing so that you can be examined effectively. If you have a leg or back problem you may want to wear or bring shorts/tracksuit trousers and a T-shirt. If you have an arm or neck problem you may want to wear or bring a vest top with you. If you have any questions about what needs to be examined and why please just ask.
- You may want to have a friend or family member with you, or another staff member can chaperone, please just ask.
- We have male and female therapists, so if you have a preference please let us know prior to attending for your appointment.
- Any previous medical letters relating to your current problem, results of X-rays or scans (If you have them)
If attending a face to face appointment, please arrive at least 5 minutes before your appointment, this allows you to book yourself in at the reception desk and fill out any necessary paperwork. If you arrive more than 10 minutes after your appointment time your Health Care Professional may not be able to see you.
If your appointment is telephone or video, please ensure you are in a private and quiet location so that you can talk freely and you may have to do some movements. Also try to be somewhere that has good telephone or internet connection.
Clinicians sometimes run a little early or late, so your appointment time is a guide only. We will endeavour to call you as close to your appointed time as possible, and appreciate your flexibility.
The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) is a self-administered assessment tool used in pain management. The basic aim of the BPI is to record information on the intensity of pain, along with the degree to which the pain interferes with the everyday functioning of life.
To get the most out of your assessment with the team, please complete The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) before your first appointment.
It is important for you to keep your appointment but sometimes it is not possible or you may no longer need it. If you need to re-arrange or cancel your appointment, please contact our admin team on 01283 507131 so that we can offer that appointment to another person.
Due to high demand on our services we have policies in place to help the service be as efficient as possible. If you fail to attend your appointment you may be discharged from the service. If you are unable to keep your appointment, please contact us at least 24 hours before the time of the appointment on the above telephone number so that another appointment can be arranged. The Trust will only rearrange one appointment. Cancelling more than one appointment may result in you being discharged from the service. If we do not hear from you within 30 days to rebook your appointment you may also be discharged from the service.
Clinic locations
Hill Street Health and Wellbeing service,
Hill St,
Burton-on-Trent,
DE15 9LD
*Free onsite parking
For more information or help with your appointment, please contact our admin team on 01283 507 131.
Physiotherapy Department,
Samuel Johnson Community Hospital,
Trent Valley Rd,
Lichfield,
WS13 6EF
*Parking Charges apply which can be found on the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton Website
For more information or help with your appointment, please contact our admin team on 01283 507 131.
Stonydelph Health Centre,
55 Ellerbeck,
Wilnecote,
Tamworth,
B77 4JA
*Free onsite parking
For more information or help with your appointment, please contact our admin team on 01283 507 131.
Patients from Uttoxeter are currently offered appointments at either our Burton or Lichfield clinics.
For more information or help with your appointment, please contact our admin team on 01283 507 131.
I particularly enjoy helping people to explore the connection between their emotional and physical health. Outside of work my favourite thing to do is go for a long walk with my husband and our dogs and come home to a cosy roast dinner.
My therapeutic work draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Eye Movement, Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
