Organiser Lesley Brydon reveals how last week's National Pain Summit began life.

The idea for a National Pain Summit emerged 16 months ago,  following recommendations made in the Access Economics Report The High Price of Pain, prepared for MBF Foundation in collaboration with the University of Sydney Pain Management Research Institute.

We started with just that; an idea. No resources, no formal plan but we did have some seed money provided by MBF Foundation.

To start the process we identified around 130 healthcare and consumer bodies, with an interest in pain. Associations that represent all primary health care providers, medical specialist bodies and colleges and the various not-for-profit bodies representing all chronic diseases where pain is a factor, as well as other consumer advocacy groups.

Without exception, these groups agreed there was a need to address pain with a comprehensive national strategy, and we immediately had a groundswell of support for the idea.