Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) availability of pain services and (b) Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance’s core offer for pain services.

No specific assessment has been made. The majority of routine treatment and support for people with chronic pain is provided by local primary, community and secondary care services and commissioned via clinical commissioning groups. For patients with severe and complex pain, NHS England commissions specialised care. Upon referral to specialist centres, patients can access a range of health professionals, including consultant specialists, clinical nurse specialists, psychologists and physiotherapists and receive specialised treatment.

The core offer for pain services produced by the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance is informing guidance on the provision of high-quality services for people living with long-term pain conditions currently being produced by NHS England.