Outrage over Pain Clinic closure

Health chiefs are in the firing line after it was announced that the chronic pain service at Oswestry's Orthopaedic Hospital is to end on March 31.

While around 50 patients in Shropshire are expected to be impacted, over 400 will be hit in Mid and North Wales after bosses said that new guidelines are making it “too fragile” to continue.

Reader, Adrian Evans, called the decision “absolutely ridiculous” while another labelled it “disgusting” with some readers saying they have been waiting for over a year already to be seen.

A spokesperson at the hospital told us that they are “currently working with Powys Health Board to help with options for affected patients”.

Montgomeryshire MP, Glyn Davies said that he has called for an urgent meeting with Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital Chief Executive, Mark Brandreth, to discuss the impact this will have his many constituents who have been reliant on the Clinic’s services.

The service, which aims to reduce suffering and enhance the quality of life, in addition to providing a reduction in the pain problem, will end on March 31 as a result of changes to provision. 

The changes in guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have led to a reduction in patients being referred to the hospital, with an internal review finding the service is too fragile to continue safely as a result of operational and clinical challenges, which have resulted in a small clinical team delivering the service to all patients. 

Mr Brandreth said: “This is not a decision we have taken lightly, and one we believe is necessary to ensure safe care for our patients.

“The service we currently offer is not as robust as we would like to see, due to its reliance on a very small team comprising of just one consultant and one specialist nurse.”

The hospital’s full statement is here.

It is unclear at the moment where the Welsh patients will be sent, but Wrexham and Brecon hospitals have been mentioned, meaning Powys patients may have to head all the way to Brecon, a two-hour trip for people suffering from the most extreme forms of back pain.

If you have specific concerns, the advice is to contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) at RJAH. The PALS team can be reached by calling 01691 404606, or by emailing rjah.pals.office@nhs.net.