Community Pain Management Service
Overview
The west Essex community pain management service (WECPMS) supports people with long-term musculoskeletal (MSK) pain. You might know it as ‘persistent’ or ‘chronic’ pain.
The Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust (PAHT), Essex Partnership University Trust (EPUT) and Stellar Healthcare provide this service.
GPs within west Essex, hospital consultants, and MSK physiotherapists can refer to our service. We offer this service from different locations across west Essex, including:
- Bishop's Stortford
- Epping
- Harlow
- Saffron Walden
- Stansted
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently offering remote appointments via video or phone call. We are monitoring the situation and will update how we deliver our services in line with government recommendations.
If you are a prospective patient, you can find more information on EPUT's website.
What is persistent pain?
Persistent (or chronic) pain is a pain that lasts for more than six months.
For most people who have been injured, the pain stops within six months as the body has completed its healing process. This is known as ‘acute’ or ‘short-term’ pain. Nonetheless, for some people the pain can continue after six months, even though the body has healed. Over 28 million people in the UK live with persistent pain.
There isn't a one size fits all cure for persistent pain. Research has shown that a combination of different treatments can be very effective in managing symptoms, such as:
- physiotherapy
- education
- psychology.
For some people, medication may have some short-term benefits. Yet for many others medication has not been effective.
Persistent pain can be frustrating and prevent people from doing things they enjoy. People who have persistent pain often tell us their pain causes them to feel unhappy and it reduces their activities.
When assessing how to help people to manage their pain, we look at all areas of their life.
Our service aims to support and better understand your pain, so you feel empowered to self-manage it. This in turn, will help improve your quality of life.
Our approach
At the west Essex community pain management service, we emphasise pain self-management. The aim of pain self-management is to improve a person’s knowledge of their pain, so they gain the confidence to manage their own pain.
To help achieve this, our team will work with you to provide you with new skills and strategies through group workshops or personal sessions. Many things can affect pain, such as lack of sleep and stress or worry.
The workshops will teach you to:
- understand the impact pain has on the body and mind
- understand how this can negatively affect activities and lifestyle.
During your journey with our team, we encourage you to:
- identify your own personal goals
- choose something important to you that you would like the team to help you achieve.
The emphasis of our service is on you, and how we can support you to engage in the things you enjoy and that are of value to you.
Our team
Our team, all with specialist expertise in pain management, includes:
- senior doctors
- nurses
- physiotherapists
- psychologists
- pharmacists
When referred to the service, and depending on your specific needs, you may get the opportunity to work with one or all of the team.
As well as working together, we also work with other community groups and healthcare providers.
Contact the service
If you have any questions about referrals, contact our Central Referral Service, Stellar Healthcare.
Tel: 0300 303 7300 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm)
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