Pain Management

The Persistent Pain Service (PPS) provide assessment and management for adults who have been experiencing persistent pain or chronic pain with symptoms that impact on daily activities and require complex management. PPS provides services on a time limited basis in collaboration with the person’s General Practitioner. 

The PPS encourages active participation in care by patients, families, and health care practitioners.

What we do

• Provide interdisciplinary assessment identifying the contributors to pain including biomedical concerns, coping styles, physical activity/exercise, and mental health and social factors.
• Provide interdisciplinary management for pain conditions via group and individual programs. This can include clinicians such as doctors, psychologists, physiotherapists, nurses, and psychiatrists.
• Support the development of active self-management skills and strategies via identifying goals and working towards these, with the aim to optimise participation in valued activities of life despite the presence of pain.
• We understand that, for some individuals, pain may always be a part of life. However, we believe that the impact and control this pain has can be managed and improved.

What are unable to

• Provide pain specialist endorsement for the authorisation of opioid prescriptions.  Following medical assessment, the pain specialist may recommend changes to people’s medication regimen to their GP.
• Endorse Medicinal Cannabinoids for the treatment of persistent pain. Currently, PPS does not participate in cannabinoids prescription or recommendation. This is due to a lack of evidence from high-quality research to endorse the use in chronic pain. This aligns with the guidelines from the International Association for the Study of Pain and the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists. We are not currently involved in any clinical trial of cannabinoids use for pain.
• Provide procedural interventions without an interdisciplinary assessment first. Procedures may be a part of a comprehensive holistic management plan.
• Provide long-term care. The General Practitioner is vitally important and remains the primary point of care.
• Provide services to individuals under 18 years of age. Children and young people have additional needs to adults. Currently, there is no paediatric pain service in Tasmania.
• Provide documentation to support NDIS or DSP applications. A person’s GP is vitally important and best placed to provide documentation for support payments.
• Offer team care arrangements. Team care arrangements are not compatible with PPS model of care.
• Provide care to people currently engaged with another pain management service (including private pain specialist).

Referral requesting the above circumstances may NOT be accepted.

Our services

The PPS provides interdisciplinary, contemporary pain care in individual and group and telehealth settings. The focus of our service to help people to develop self-management skills to improve their function and quality of life in the presence of pain. 

Please ensure the patient has consented to referral and understands PPS model of care and their GP has been advised. 

Information to be included in the referral

Information that MUST be provided

• Reason for referral
• Pain history: onset, location, nature of pain and duration
• Do they identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• Psychological status and cognitive function including literacy issues or being part of a vulnerable population.
• Psychiatric history (including active/ unstable mental health issues)
• Details of previous pain management including the course of treatment(s) and outcome of treatment(s) if any
• Comprehensive past medical history (including any history of alcohol, recreational drugs, or prescription medicine misuse)
• Current medication history (including non-prescription medicines, complementary and alternative therapies).

Provide if available

• Details of functional impairment
• Details of any current behaviours that may impact on the person’s ability to participate in a pain management program (e.g. behaviours of concern, level of alcohol intake, cognition issues, reliance on a carer, mental health issues)
• Results of previous investigations 

Referral is NOT appropriate and will NOT be accepted for

• Patients that are not currently ready to engage with the biopsychosocial model of care.
• Patients currently undertaking another chronic pain management program or under care of a private pain specialist.
• Patients that have already completed a multidisciplinary, comprehensive chronic pain management program or service for the same identifiable cause of pain where their clinical symptoms, or their readiness to undertake a chronic pain management program, remains unchanged.
• Patients who ONLY want an intervention such as an injection or nerve block.
• Patients who want ONLY medications (or authority for medications).
• Patients who are not willing to engage in a multi-disciplinary approach to pain management.
• Patients who want NDIS documentations to support disability applications.

Complete eReferral or fax referrals to 6173 0457

Typical patient pathway

The typical PPS pathway includes:

1. Referral Questionnaire (essential)
2. Introduction session:  This outlines our model of care and invites participants to opt in to PPS assessment.
3. Assessment
   1. Multidisciplinary Assessment, or
   2. Interdisciplinary Assessment, or
   3. Single Clinician Assessment
4. Episode of Care
5. Return to the care of GP and community services.

To progress through the PPS clinic and program, patients whose referral is accepted will have to complete an in-depth questionnaire.

The Questionnaire is essential for helping the service tailor the best approach to the patient's needs. Patients may seek assistance from their family or friends. Where patients have difficulty completing the questionnaire, the PPS nurses (phone 6166 7871) or their GP or other health professional may aid in completing the form.

If the form is not completed, the service cannot progress with triaging the patient appropriately and the patient will be discharged from the service and the referrer will be informed.

After returning the questionnaire, most patients are invited to our Introduction session. 

Subsequent treatment may take place at the PPS or be referred out to appropriate community therapists. 

Appointments are based on clinical priority.

Urgent (Category 1)

Urgent referrals should be accompanied by a phone call to the Consultant/Registrar to organise urgent review and the referral must be faxed.

We will try to see these patients within four weeks, or sooner if clinically indicated.

Semi-urgent (Category 2)

We will try to see these patients within 12 weeks.

Routine (Category 3)

Next available appointment.

Other files

• Persistent Pain Service Referral Patient Questionnaire