The Faculty of Pain Medicine is an official professional body in the UK responsible for developing practice standards and training in the field of Pain Medicine. It provides a range of information for chronic pain patients and healthcare professionals. There is a dedicated section for patients where you can find a series of free downloadable leaflets about medication and interventions used for the management of chronic pain.
Pain Concern is a leading UK charity developed specifically to provide information and support to those living in pain. On their website you can find a range of free downloadable leaflets on various pain conditions. For example:
Alternatively, Pain Concern's leaflets and publications provide further information on how to manage your pain using pharmacological and self-management methods.
The pain toolkit where you can access 12-steps to better managing your pain are described alongside links to useful resources and videos about pain, medication and self-management.
The Action on pain website provides information and support for people with chronic pain and those who care for them. Resources on their website provide easy to read information on different types of chronic pain, tips on how to manage flare ups and medication for chronic pain, including issues you should be aware of and what to ask your Doctor.
Smile Liverpool is a community member (£3 week) support group for people with chronic pain. It offers a network for people to share experiences, practise exercise and relaxation techniques, and builds social support. Those interested in joining can call (07598528779) or email to find out more.
Sefton Community and Voluntary Service (CVS) helps manage local programmes that provide support to people within the community, including improving health and wellbeing. They have developed a directory of local services. An information and signposting service is also available (0151 920 0726).
Living Well Sefton is a free service to help support people with issues affecting their health and wellbeing, to make the changes needed to live better. Living mentors provide 1-1 support and help identify areas of your life where changes could be made. This includes, eating more healthily, stopping smoking/drinking, losing weight, exercising and mental well-being. It hosts regular events and drop-in sessions, including free health checks, walking football, pensioner club, film club and stress clinic.
Mobilecraft4u is a not-for-profit organisation located in Sefton, it delivers craft kits and community projects to help improve individuals’ health and well-being.
Partners with Living well Sefton, Brighter Living is a service that strives to provide social inclusion and improve quality of life by delivering art and crafts events, cooking/healthy eating and learning different coping skills. Their contact number is 01704381983.
A drop-in support service for anyone diagnosed with fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome. They work alongside Fibromyalgia Action UK and Pain Clinic Plus Ainsdale.
Life rooms is a free NHS service that provides support and signposting to a range of services (from volunteering & employment to physical and mental well-being). They operate a telephone support line rather than the usual drop in due to COVID-19.
Wellbeing Liverpool is a service that brings together GPs, social prescribers (link workers) and community groups to improve wellbeing across Liverpool. Individuals can refer themselves or ask their GP to refer them and put together a personalised health and well-being plan.
Future Learn offers free online psychological first aid training in regard to the emotional impact of COVID-19.
New Beginning is a social prescribing service that refers people to a range of non-clinical services to improve their mental health and wellbeing, with separate groups for men and women to take part in.
Daisy UK offer courses and workshops to young and adult disabled people and wider community, they promote classes that develop self-motivation, independent living and learning and enriching life through health activity and improving wellbeing.
Wellbeing Enterprise (WE) operates across Halton, St. Helens and Knowsley to deliver asset based social prescribing (non-medical sources of support). This includes psychological therapy prescriptions (e.g. life skills/CBT, stress management, mindfulness) and social inclusion prescriptions (e.g. activity bases classes). They work with HCPs, local community and businesses to promote well-being. This report describes the services of social prescribing and healthcare very well.
Think Wellbeing St Helens is a team of well-being psychological practitioners and CBT therapists providing free NHS support to make positive life changes. The service offers well-being workshops, group therapy, 1-1 support and telephone support for adults aged 16 and over with common mental health problems such as anxiety or depression that are also linked to long-term physical health conditions.
Pain UK lists 36 UK based charities providing support to patients living with a range of chronic pain conditions. The charities listed are mostly run by patients and a platform for people to share experiences, get information about pain and telephone support numbers for specific pain conditions.
Pain Concern has downloadable information resources, a radio station and podcast providing news updates, videos, and links to information about self-managing pain and breaking down barriers to coping better with pain. They also have a helpline telephone number (03001230789) and a private members community forum.
Opioids aware shares patient testimonials of working with pain specialists to improve how to live better with pain.
The pain toolkit has compiled a number of links to free resources around the UK that help support people in chronic pain to better manage their pain. They also have free access to an online café for anyone to talk about pain and self-management.
ESCAPE-pain is a free a 6-week educational self-management and exercise programme produced in the NHS by the Health Innovation Network and Salaso Solution Ltd for people with knee and hip pain, and chronic lower back pain. The courses are available for free online in a web-based version or can be downloaded onto a smartphone app.
Flippin Pain provides information on understanding pain and self-management, moving towards recovery and information for health care professionals, including booklets, videos and podcasts/audio books.
Action on pain is a volunteer led charity to support people with chronic pain and their carers. There is a telephone helpline (0345 6031593) and a national network of support groups, with a mobile support unit for advice and support that travels around the UK.
NHS pages on managing chronic pain and 10-ways to reduce pain provide some brief and generic information (as well as links to examples) on using exercise, staying at work, physical therapy and using painkillers to help manage chronic pain.
Pain support UK shares information on pain self-management aimed at helping people move forward with their pain with or without medication. This resource was developed by someone with long-term experience of chronic pain who has developed books and CDs on methods of self-help to reduce pain and stress. A members’ forum is available for likeminded people to join, share experiences and information on all topics related to pain.
To better days gathers links to (limited) offline support groups available around the UK and also online information resources. You should also visit their Facebook account and the To Better Days Instagram pages where they share the latest information and chronic pain advice. There is also provision for a WhatsApp support service available on their Facebook page.
Burning nights is a guide, blog and forum sharing information on various therapies and techniques to better manage CRPS and chronic pain. It is a resource that mostly addresses CRPS, providing information on what it is, symptoms and treatment. It provides a summary of places and people to reach out to for support, including links for families and carers. Also see their 18 tips on how to prepare for your pain appointment.
The British Pain society is a multidisciplinary professional organisation dedicated to all matters related to pain. Useful for both healthcare professionals and patients. The resource for patients provides information on support available for people in pain, BPS publications and recommended reading sources, links to other useful organisations for different types of pain and videos of patient voices. It has a list of FAQs that patients might find useful including questions around medication.
Steps2wellbeing offers a body and mind service to help individuals manage the impact of long-term conditions such as chronic pain through use of CBT.
Talking Health provides a platform where individuals with various long-term health conditions can share their experiences.