Bristol Children's Hospital Paediatric Chronic Pain Clinic
This is the outpatient Pain Clinic Service for Bristol Children's Hospital, provided by the Bath Centre for Pain Services. Patients can access the medical, psychology and physiotherapy expertise of the National Service.
Patients with chronic pain can access multidisciplinary specialist pain assessments, followed by highly specialised Psychology and Physiotherapy interventions.
Who can refer?
To be eligible for the clinic, the patient has to be under a BCH consultant. The referral can come from any senior BCH member of staff.
What does the service do?
We treat young people with chronic pain, using a rehabilitation approach . We include a medication review, but prescribing will not be the focus, in line with the evidence base for children's pain. We focus on helping young people to function better and thrive, even if pain stays for a while.
What doesn't the service do?
We do not do interventional procedures (e.g. injections, infusions, ablations, spinal cord stimulation), nor do we offer complementary or alternative therapies. We have no specific access to novel analgesics. We don't treat young people who have major medical or surgical treatments coming in the near future.
What treatment looks like
Assessments are online, with a doctor and a specialist physiotherapist and psychologist. This takes one hour. Treatment is face to face, psychology and / or physiotherapy, located at our specialist centre in Bath. Parents are usually involved and can also have their own sessions.
How to prepare the patient
It is helpful to be realistic about what the pain clinic can achieve. We are unlikely to cure a child's chronic pain. It is helpful to emphasise that the evidence supports a rehabilitation approach to paediatric chronic pain. Please direct patients to this website for more information.
Contact us and Refer
Referrals are to Dr Valerie Rogers, Consultant in Paediatric Pain, and can be emailed to ruh-tr.RNHRDPMUenquiries@nhs.net
Postal address:
Bristol Paediatric Chronic Pain Clinic, Bath Centre for Pain Services, RUH Bath, Combe Park, Bath BA1 3NG.
Feel free to get in touch with us via the BCPS contact page.