Pain Management Task Force minutes: December 2024

Attendees and apologies

• Will Wood (Deputy Chair),  Long Term Conditions Unit Head, Scottish Government
• Stuart Stephen, National Implementation Lead for Pain Management, Scottish Government
• Rory Mackenzie, Associate Clinical Director, NHS CFSD
• Heather Harrison, Pain Pharmacy Network Lead
• Lyn Watson, Pain Nurse Network Lead
• Aline Williams, Service Managers Network Leads
• John Anderson, Primary Care Lead, PHS
• Nina Cockton, Psychology Network Lead
• Tracy Robertson, AHP Network Lead
• Lived Experience Volunteer
• Lived Experience Volunteer
• Anne Wallace, Professional Advisor
• Stephen Martin, Realistic Medicine Team Leader
• Gayle McCann, Senior Policy Manager, Scottish Government

Apologies

• Lynne Nicol (Chair), Deputy Director Scottish Government
• Nicola Rhind, National Clinical Lead for Pain Management
• Moira Nelson, Chronic Pain Team Lead, Scottish Government
• Lars Williams, Medics Network Lead
• Carol Campbell, Communications Manager

Items and actions

Welcome and apologies

Apologies noted above

Approval of minutes and matters arising

The previous minutes were approved and will be published on the Scottish Government website.

Membership – Chair, Third Sector, Realistic Medicine

The group discussed the membership of the Pain Management Task Force. 

Chair - Lynne Nicol, Chair of the group was unable to attend this meeting with subject of Chair to be discussed at next meeting.

Third sector representation –  the policy team are continuing to look at solutions for ensuring the network is sustainable and are represented on various groups. The group were informed that this is progressing slowly due to capacity issues within the policy team. The group were provided with assurances that a path forward will be agreed by the next meeting. 

Realistic Medicine – The group were informed that Stephen Martin will be taking a step back from the group in the new year due to increasing pressures within Realistic Medicine team. As Realistic Medicine is interwoven into Chronic Pain work, Stephen does not feel that he needs to come to every meeting but is happy to feed in as required. 

Implementation Progress

Workforce – Short Life Working Group (SLWG) on Workforce have met a couple of times with good representation and engagement across the group. The SLWG are agreeing definitions of chronic pain first contacts and assessments before addressing workforce needs and evaluation of competencies for each professional group and banding. 

Education – The group were provided with a demonstration on the new chronic pain knowledge hub and learning toolkit which was launched in November. The resource is available to anyone with a TURAS account, once logged in searching ‘Chronic Pain’ will take users to appropriate pages. Additional content on working with people and person-centred approaches is being developed and will be added once finalised. The learning toolkit covers practice levels informed and skilled. Now that the learning toolkit has been launched, the group are looking at ways to develop training for practice levels enhanced and specialist. This was initially meant to be through NHS Education for Scotland’s accreditation however this is no longer being offered. The group are currently exploring what already exists for specialist training pathways for each professional group.

The group agreed that this is a good resource but enquired as to whether the toolkit has been highlighted to Higher Education Institutes.

SLWGA – The group continue to develop the lived experience engagement toolkit, the aim is to publish this on the knowledge hub in spring.

Public awareness – there has been slow progress to date due to lack of financial resource, the policy team will approach SLWGA to see if they can take this on and are keen to learn from colleagues in Fife and Lanarkshire who have successfully ran social media messaging campaigns.

SIGN and Prescribing – The work of these groups are progressing well. 

Interventions – The interventions work was raised as a risk at the last meeting of the group however since then it has been agreed that the Scottish Health Technologies Group will take on this work. Scoping is underway to identify what will be included in the review.

Research – it has been agreed to use outputs of SIGN guideline to identify research gaps in chronic pain and there is an ask of SHTG colleagues to share research gaps too. This was considered to be the best route forward which has no additional financial resource requirement.

Service Managers Network – The group last met on 22 November 2024, Pain Association joined the meeting to provide an update on challenges facing third sector. The group have almost completed the work for Short-Life Working Group on Workforce and are looking at recommendations for volume of work in secondary care which will be discussed at next meeting.

Data – Boards and PHS are continuing to collect data in both the old and new formats which is causing increased workload. The new data collection is expected to be published next year. The group wished to acknowledge all the hard work that has been done on this.

Implementation Plan Risk Register

Risk raised at last task force around interventions review has since been mitigated. This work is being taken forward by the Scottish Health Technologies Group.

There are no new emerging risks. 

Wait Time Target in publications

Colleagues in Public Health Scotland (PHS) have approached policy team to reach an agreement about reporting against a wait time target before the new data collection. A paper outlining this was sent to members of the Task Force in advance. 

PHS have had parliamentary questions in recent months asking them to confirm whether first appointments for chronic pain patients are outpatient appointments, whether a target is used for chronic pain waiting times, and whether a target has been used in the past. It is thought that these questions were raised because there is some confusion as to why a 12 week target for a first outpatient appointment is not referenced in the publication.

Colleagues in planned care recommend the 12 week target for consistency. 

The group discussed this and agreed with PHS to support the recommendation of referencing a 12 week target in the publication when the new data is published next year.

Finance and commissioning 

Financial situation remains unchanged from last task force, there is no confirmation of budget for next financial year. However the policy team will provide the group with an update once this becomes known. 

Communications 

The group were informed that a media release was sent to all chronic pain and communication leads in NHS Boards to announce the launch of the chronic pain knowledge hub and learning toolkit. NHS Education for Scotland were also involved in the communications. 

Meetings between Scottish Government and chronic pain and comms contacts in health boards underway. Initial meetings have been with NHS Orkney and Shetland with more planned in new year.

It was highlighted to the group that since last meeting, Jenni Minto MSP, Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health visited pain management service in Fife, to learn more about NHS Fife’s high risk pain medicines patient safety programme and public “Pain Talking” campaign.

AOCB

The members of the group in attendance wished to put on record their thanks to Stuart Stephen for all his hard work and dedication whilst being in his role as national implementation lead for pain management.