The new Parliamentary Friends of Pain Management Group has today launched the updated National Pain Services Directory, which now lists over 200 facilities, both public and private, as well as offering the list of services provided by each facility.
Co-chair of the Parliamentary Group Senator Wendy Askewwelcomed the update, “All Australians are living through very unprecedented health challenges presented by COVID-19, but for the 3.37 million Australians living with chronic pain conditions, it can be particularly difficult to locate nearby pain services. Chronic pain conditions can be debilitating and have a significant impact on every aspect of a person’s life, with common conditions like low back pain now the leading cause of disability worldwide. The improvements to the National Pain Services Directory will provide current and easy to navigate information to assist both consumers and health professionals in navigating these complex chronic conditions.’
The National Services Directory was originally launched by the Federal Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP in October last year to provide consumers and health practitioners with the support they need to make informed decisions around pain management options and pathways. The Directory is an important initiative funded by the Federal Government under the Consumer Awareness and Education Grant.
The directory now has enhanced search and locational functionality. This will allow consumers and health professionals to find the right multidisciplinary care closest to their location through more refined and targeted searching capabilities.
Co-chair of the Parliamentary Group David Smith MP said, “People living with chronic pain include some of the most vulnerable among our communities, and it is very encouraging to see these improvements that will enable them to access best practice care by skilled health practitioners, as close to their location as possible.”
The enhanced interactivity combined with new mapping and navigational functionality will improve this essential service for consumers and health professionals across Australia. The updated National Pain Services Directory will be accessible on multiple smart devices.
Painaustralia CEO Carol Bennett said ‘Providing good support to people at the earliest possible stage of their chronic pain journey is one of the keys to achieving better outcomes. But good support can be hard to find. It can be very difficult for people to navigate complex health systems and to know which services provide quality and evidence-informed care. This improved directory is not the solution to pain, but it will shorten the journey of many people experiencing serious and persistent pain as they seek out treatment that will work for them’.
The pain services directory can be accessed via the Painaustralia website: https://www.painaustralia.org.au/getting-help/pain-directory
About Painaustralia
Painaustralia is Australia’s peak national pain advocacy body working to improve the quality of life of people living with pain, their families and carers, and to minimise the social and economic burden of pain on individuals and the community.
