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Pain charity donation

Our pain clinic has been awarded a donation of £1,700 from charity ‘a way with pain’ to enhance the care that patients with chronic pain receive while in hospital.

The charity ‘a way with pain’ is an organisation dedicated to raising awareness of chronic pain and offering support to those affected. The donated funds will help to train three nurses at our Trust in hypnotherapy techniques and relaxation, and enable the purchase of a recliner chair for patients to use while having treatment.

The hospital’s department of pain medicine supports patients admitted to hospital with acute, short-term pain and chronic, long-term pain, as well as running the outpatient pain clinic. Our Trust is one of the few hospitals in the UK to offer a Trust-wide inpatient pain service. Specialist pain nurses visit the wards to offer help and guidance to patients by minimising their pain, supporting their pain management and facilitating their recovery. 

Dawn Pretty, lead clinical nurse specialist in the department of pain medicine, said: “We help patients who need assistance with managing the pain they are experiencing. Hypnotherapy and relaxation are very effective and safe strategies, and are just a sample of the holistic strategies we use to help patients with their own self-management of pain.

“Not only will our nurses use the techniques to relax patients who may be distressed by their pain or anxious on the wards, but we can share the techniques with patients themselves. Patients can then use these techniques at home to alleviate their symptoms.

“We believe that everyone living with chronic pain has the right to the best education, advice and treatment available. Long-term chronic pain cannot always be cured, however, pain can be made easier to manage by developing knowledge and expertise in self-management.”

David Kelly, co-founder of ‘a way with pain’, said: “I am delighted to be able to present this cheque on behalf of the charity, which will hopefully help to make visits to the pain clinic more comfortable for those using the service. Hypnotherapy sessions are so important as they can be such a relief to those affected by chronic pain.

“Chronic pain affects around one in seven people in the UK, often with devastating effects on the individual concerned, their family, and friends. Chronic pain does not discriminate and anyone can be affected by it.

“Because in most cases this condition is not visible, those affected can feel lonely, isolated and misunderstood. The team at West Suffolk Hospital is open to trying new and innovative ways of helping patients cope with pain, so we are pleased to be able to donate and help them improve patient care.” 

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David Kelly, co-founder of A Way With Pain, presents Dawn Pretty, lead clinical nurse specialist in the department of pain medicine, with the donation

David Kelly, co-founder of A Way With Pain, presents Dawn Pretty, lead clinical nurse specialist in the department of pain medicine, with the donation