Acute pain
Our acute pain service was established in Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in 1996.
The team is led by a consultant anaesthetist and we have a total
of five nurses - full and part time. We have close links with
surgical pharmacists and physiotherapists and we liaise with many
other teams including chronic pain and critical care outreach
teams.
Since the service was formed it has continued to develop and
extend. We currently review many inpatients experiencing acute pain
each year and we are available for surgical and medical wards
throughout the hospital.
The acute pain service has daily nurse-led ward rounds plus a
consultant ward round, once a week. We provide advice and guidance
to ward and medical staff with regards to a patient's pain
management and supervise the safety of the pain relieving
techniques used. Training and education is available for all levels
of staff.
As a team we are continually reviewing the service and pain
management within the hospital using audit. We frequently assess
whether changes are required to improve pain and aim to improve the
patient experience.