What progress has been made on implementing the Scottish Service Model for Chronic Pain.

The National Chronic Pain Steering Group continues to make steady progress in taking forward an extensive work plan and is working with NHS boards to provide support in implementing the service model.
As part of the group’s work plan Healthcare Improvement Scotland recently published a benchmarking report on chronic pain services in Scotland. The purpose of the report was to provide an update on the provision of chronic pain services since the publication of the GRIPs report and provide recommendations to assist NHS Board in the planning of services. Findings from the audit show that there has been improvement in service provision since the GRIPS report of 2007.
The report is available on the Healthcare Improvement website at:
http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/programmes/long_term_conditions/chronic_pain/chronic_pain_update_report.aspx.
The establishment of service improvement groups/Managed Clinical Networks are seen as a key way of implementing the Scottish Service Model for Chronic Pain. The National Chronic Pain Steering Group has been working with boards to support them to develop improvement plans. This has resulted in a number of successful bids to establish service improvement groups/managed clinical networks, most of which are in the early stages of development.