GIRFT programme launches chronic pain workstream to improve services for patients
NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme has launched a new workstream aiming to ensure that more patients living with chronic pain – including children and young people – receive personalised, holistic and evidence-based care, with seamless transitions between services.
Working in collaboration with the Faculty of Pain Medicine (FPM), the British Pain Society and wider stakeholders, GIRFT is welcoming a clinical lead and two clinical advisors to lead the new chronic pain workstream. The leadership team have expertise in pain medicine, primary care and paediatric academic rheumatology, offering a unique diversity of approach across community, primary, secondary, and tertiary care services, and across all stages of life.
System level peer reviews will be carried out with providers of pain management services to identify variation and challenges, and to develop a structured, best practice model. Areas of focus include the effect of inequalities and personalised care related to the management of pain, pain education, digital offers, support to return to work or school, reducing harm from medication, and access to multidisciplinary pain management programmes.
Data from the FPM’s 2025 Gap Analysis document, which describes the variation in service delivery, commissioning and provision against the Faculty’s Core Standards for Pain Management Services will feed into the reviews.
The three new GIRFT clinicians are:
- Dr Helen Makins (clinical lead): consultant in pain medicine and anaesthesia, working clinically with both adults and children in Gloucestershire. Helen has worked extensively on projects for people with pain, from community-based social prescribing projects for children to holistic clinical pathways and evidence-based criteria for pain interventions. Helen is an elected member of the Faculty of Pain Medicine Board.
- Dr Jacqui Clinch (clinical advisor, CYP): consultant in paediatric and adolescent rheumatology and rare bone disease at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, and medical lead of the Bath National Pain Service for children and young people.
- Dr Graham Syers (clinical advisor): GP partner at Alnwick Medical Group in Northumberland, and a clinical lead with the North-East and North Cumbria (NENC) ICB, where he chairs the Northumberland System Transformation Board and is vice chair of Northumberland Health and Wellbeing Board.
This GIRFT programme is an exciting and long-awaited opportunity for the field of chronic pain management, and I am delighted and privileged to lead it. I know that there is much excellent work and innovation occurring in all parts of the system and we will be looking to shine a light on best practice, while identifying ways to share this equitably around the country. Importantly, this work will link closely to other relevant GIRFT workstreams and key stakeholders. Through liaison with multidisciplinary health and social teams, third sector organisations and patients, we will provide recommendations for improvement which are both fit for the future NHS and benefit the large number of people of all ages experiencing chronic pain
If you have any enquires about this work, please email england.girftchronicpain@nhs.net
