12 AUGUST 2021

In this week's blog I am going to do something a little different.  Rather than providing a commentary or opinion piece, I would like to offer what I think is a very positive message by Senator Wendy Askew in the Australian Parliament this week.  My thanks to Senator Askew who continues to offer people with pain the kind of acknowledgement and recognition they deserve. You can read Senator Askew's words below.

Carol Bennett, CEO

Tonight I'm going to speak about two important initiatives: Australia's national action plan for pain management and Painaustralia's updated National Pain Services Directory. Both were launched recently at a parliamentary friends of pain management event here in Canberra. Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, said at the launch, 'Chronic pain is something which can be agonising and debilitating. It can have an impact on mental health. It can simply impair one's life in the most devastating of ways.' Like Minister Hunt, my hope is that the national strategic action plan will give a sense of hope to the almost 3.4 million Australians who live with chronic pain each and every day.

One of those Australians injured in a serious accident nearly three years ago, and well known to many in this building, recently sent me a message, after her first visit to the Launceston pain management centre, saying: 'Thank you so much. My appointment yesterday has opened up so many more options than I ever even knew I had.' She went on to finish with: 'I can't believe all the options there are once you talk to the right people.'

Painaustralia was tasked with developing the National Strategic Action Plan for Pain Management with financial support from the Australian government. The resulting action plan lays out a national approach towards support for chronic pain management and has been endorsed by health ministers from every state and territory. The National Strategic Action Plan for Pain Management outlines the key actions Australians should take to tackle chronic pain, including managing pain through holistic methods. The plan recommends eight goals that focus on reducing the burden of disease, improving the quality of life and care for patients, educating Australians on understanding and managing pain and supporting health practitioners to deliver the best treatment and care for pain patients.

The Australian government has provided $2.5 million for early implementation of this plan, including funding to educate and train health professionals in offering effective pain management care, as well as providing further funding to Painaustralia for consumer education and awareness programs. As one of those 3.4 million people living with chronic pain, author, advocate and Painaustralia pain champion Tara Moss described how pain restricts her activity and impacts her day-to-day life. Tara was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome after an injury five years ago. She described how her condition was invisible, but explained, 'Pain is invisible, but the fact that it is invisible does not mean it's not here.' Tara said that 'Living with CRPS is a daily mountain I need to climb and the pathways change all the time. Some days I might make it to the top of that mountain, but frequently I never make it out of base camp or I might not make it out of my bedclothes. That's the reality of living with chronic pain.' She's a great advocate. Like Tara, the Australians who live with chronic pain know how it can determine whether they can go ahead with their plans for the day or whether those plans will have to be put off until a time when their pain is more manageable. They know how chronic pain impacts their work, health, sleep and relationships as well as creating flow-on effect for their families, carers, friends, colleagues and their wider communities.

Through the Parliamentary Friends of Pain Management Group, my co-chair, and ACT local, David Smith, and I have worked hard to raise the awareness of chronic pain and managing that pain, both here in parliament and within our own communities. Our group works to help health professionals access pain management education and training as well as reduce the discrimination, misunderstanding and stigmatisation of people living with chronic pain.

One pain management initiative the group has promoted is the National Pain Services Directory, which was initially launched in 2019 and updated this year. This new and improved Pain Services Directory contains information on services offered by more than 200 facilities throughout Australia. This directory puts the information about pain management services and facilities in a format that makes it easy for consumers and GPs to find what they need. The directory search function allows people to find clinics by state and territory, by specific geographic location, by pain condition or by whether a public or private facility is needed. It means those living with chronic pain, their carers and medical professionals can make informed decisions around pain management options and pathways located in their regions. Chronic pain costs the Australian economy more than $70 billion each year, but the cost of persistent pain goes beyond economics to quality of life. The updated National Pain Services Directory and the national action plan give us tools and future direction in the support we provide for Australians living with chronic pain.