NHS needs to ensure netter pain management
November 15, 2008
People want to see much tougher action against the NHS if and when it fails to help patients who are in pain, a new poll suggests. A survey by Help the Aged of over 1,000 people suggested nearly two-third of those surveyed thought hospitals need to be penalised in case of poor ‘pain management.’
The charity stated the issue certainly needed to be treated as a key priority. It added non-compliance with stipulated guidelines should have a direct impact on ratings and funding. It also called for ‘pain management’ to be seen as more of a priority across the whole of the NHS, inclusive of GP care.
NHS trusts get measured against a set of core standards and pre-defined national targets. Several of them focus on things like hospital infections as well as waiting times. However, none of these is linked directly to pain management. Help the Aged felt this was wrong as presently the only way in which NHS trusts were judged on pain was through general patient surveys. The charity added this meant there was a lack of a strong link between overall rating and poor performance.
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