Thank You - Pain Management Service Team

The last few challenging months have meant huge changes to our services, the way we run our departments and care for our patients. We want to take a moment to thank a very special team which has been working above and beyond to ensure patients in pain continue to receive the care they need.

The Pain Management Team adapted quickly during our COVID-19 response, to ensure access to the service continued right across the Trust.

During our response, many of our consultant colleagues from the Pain Service offered to be redeployed to Anaesthetics, meaning our Pain Specialist Nurses have stepped up their roles, drawing upon each other's clinical expertise to deliver the safest most effective care for patients with acute pain.

Some of our nurses also volunteered to be redeployed, to Critical Care, Trauma and Resuscitation. The team however maintained a close relationship with them, and continued to support their colleagues working in other areas with regular motivational messages sent via a WhatsApp group.

The team has rolled out training at short notice for clinical staff redeployed to new specialties. New training in the use of infusion devices for pain relief was also delivered, to ensure that the Trust always had enough nurses qualified to use them. 

With the help of the OUH IM&T Service, the team started using new technology to undertake remote reviews and virtual clinics. These have now become the norm, reducing physical visits to clinical areas, thereby protecting our patients and our staff.

Clinical Lead Dr Claire Frampton has continued to run outpatient clinics via telephone appointments, as well as supporting ongoing service developments, and a new telephone advice service is now up and running to support patients who need advice, or just someone to listen.
Throughout, the team's administrators have worked tirelessly to ensure communication with patients has been consistent, rescheduling appointments where necessary and setting up new nurse clinics to meet demand.

Liz Moir, Lead Nurse, Pain Management Service, said:

"I am truly honoured to lead such an exceptional team of nurses, who along with our administration staff, pain clinical psychologists and consultants, have banded together to meet the needs of all our clinical areas during COVID-19.

"It is a truly cohesive and inspirational team, willing to go above and beyond at all times. I am exceptionally proud to work with the Pain Management Team!" 

Sam Foster, OUH Chief Nursing Officer, says:

"The ability to adapt and adjust to changed circumstances and roles has been incredibly important over these past few months, and when we are caring for people in pain this matters more than ever.

"Thankfully we have an exceptional team of professionals in our service who are always willing to rise to a challenge and provide excellent and compassionate care."

(The team photograph was taken before new rules on face masks were introduced in our hospitals.)