A message from the CEO
It gives me great pleasure to announce the establishment of the first ever Parliamentary Friends of Pain Management group!
The new group will work with Painaustralia to raise awareness about chronic pain and explore practical options to address it. The group is co-chaired by David Smith MP and Senator Wendy Askew and is a clear indication that federal parliamentarians increasingly understand the significant impact that chronic pain has on our community. Painaustralia thanks our co-chairs and each and every one of the parliamentarians who have signed up to support a strategic national approach to managing chronic pain.
The first official task of the Parliamentary Friends group was to launch the updated National Pain Services Directory. With new information and increased search and location functionality, the new Directory will help consumers and health professionals to locate pain services in their area.
In July, Painaustralia partnered with Terry White Chemmart to deliver a free webinar as part of the Real Talk series on ‘Understanding Pain & How to Manage it’. It features a brief introduction from me and an in-depth exploration of the issues from our Clinical Advisor, Anaesthetist and Pain Medicine Specialist, Dr Malcolm Hogg.
As consumers continue to contact us to share their experience of the most recent round of opioid reforms, we have launched a new survey to explore the issue in greater depth. The research will help inform our work as part of the TGA’s Opioid Reforms Communications Advisory Group as well as our ongoing advocacy. We thank our members and consumer network for the signficant input so far.
With a resurgence in COVID-19 cases across Victoria and NSW, I urge everyone to take the necessary precautions to protect the community. Many pain management services have transitioned to telehealth as outlined in the article in this edition. Organisations like the Australian Pain Society and Faculty of Pain Medicine are also now offering digital resources such as the Better Pain Management Program as well as webinars for health professionals examples of which are featured in this newsletter.
The Painaustralia Managing Pain and Coronavirus Hub continues to be regularly updated with the latest news as well as a listing of all our coronavirus related blogs that cover the consumer and clinician perspective and information on how to manage chronic pain, mental health and ongoing uncertainty through these challenging times.
As always, please stay safe.
Carol Bennett
CEO
