National Pain Summit
Organiser Lesley Brydon reveals how the long road to the innaugrual National Pain Summit began.
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.
The challenge was to get the additional funding needed, and develop and plan and a process to bring all of the relevant components of a National Pain Strategy together.
We have had tremendous support from members of the steering committee, working groups focussed on primary care, service delivery, analysis of evidence and further reference groups to develop strategies for cancer and palliative care, pain in the elderly and pain in children.
More work is still to be done on the issue of pain in the wokplace and we are pleased to have the participation of Workcover and Motor Accident bodies as well as the Australian Industry Group representing a wide range of employers.
Some 200 clinicians, consumers, industry and insurer representatives will attend the summit where the draft strategy will be reviewed and decisions made about priorities and an implementation plan.
We are very pleased to have The Minister for Helath Nicola Roxon officially open the summit and to have senior representatives of the Department of Health and Ageing attend.
I am optimistic that we will find the committment and energy to take the plan forward and begin to address what is currently a serious gap in health services.
It is a world first National Pain Strategy and is being closely monitored internationally. We hope to have some positive results to report on at an International Pain Summit to be held in Montreal in September.
Lesley Brydon is the Manager of the National Pain Summit, Thursday 11 March 2010. For more information visit www.painsummit.org.au
