MP joins fight for consistent approach to pain control

Nigel Adams, the Conservative MP for Selby and Ainsty, has raised his concerns over a decision by the primary care trust, NHS North Yorkshire and York, to reduce the use of injections to counter chronic back pain.

Senior health officials have stressed that the decision was taken in November of 2009 to curb patients' reliance on the pain-killing injections and persuade them to follow other therapies, including physiotherapy, acupuncture or even surgery.

However, a 1,500-signature petition was handed in at a board meeting of the PCT last week calling for the overhaul of policies to be overturned and a "more consistent approach" to be pursued.

The York Pain Management Support Group (YPMSG) has asked that GPs alone should make the decision for their patients' needs rather than sufferers having to appeal to a panel of the PCT.

Mr Adams said: "I find it difficult to understand why much needed medication is offered on such an ad hoc basis particularly when people are suffering so badly from pain already.

"I am seeking to find answers from the trust and am encouraging them to offer a more consistent approach across the region," he added.

Directors at the PCT have maintained that the move to limit the use of the pain-killing injections was based on guidance provided by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice).

A spokesman for the trust was adamant that the decision was not down to cost-cutting measures as the PCT has been battling a multi-million pound deficit.

He stressed that the other treatments are more expensive than the use of the injections, which are seen as a more short-term fix.

NHS North Yorkshire and York's medical director, Dr David Geddes, added: "We appreciate that the decision to no longer routinely commission these injections will be worrying for patients.

"However the clinical evidence supporting the use of this treatment for chronic lower back pain is weak and we need to ensure, as leaders of the local NHS, that we commission treatments that are clinically appropriate."