The most straightforward way to be referred if you live in Southampton or Portsmouth is via your GP. Sometimes other health care professionals who you are seeing such as a neurologist or a physiotherapist for example may talk to you about a referral. When considering whether this is the right time for you to be referred it is important to consider what kind of help you are looking for. The pain management service cannot offer a complete cure for your pain nor any medication that will completely take away the pain and much of the work that is done will be focused on helping you enjoy a better quality of life despite pain.
When the Pain Team receive your referral they will look through the information and they may then ask you to fill in a specific questionnaire about your pain and how it affects you. Sometimes people are signposted to other services as there may be something else that needs to be dealt with, this can include needing other medical treatments or needing support from other services better placed to help you. If your referral is not accepted this does not mean that we would not see you in the future if appropriate.
- If you are looking for a further medical opinion or cure for your pain.
- If you are experiencing severe mental health problems, we would normally suggest delaying the referral until these are stable and managed.
- If you have a diagnosis/all your investigations for you pain have been completed. If you have finished seeing other services who are working with you curing or reducing your pain (e.g. any surgery, physiotherapy, other procedures.)
- You agree and accept that the pain has become persistent and is having a significant impact on your day to day life.
- A willingness to learn about self-management approach to pain.
For practitioners (Southampton)
GP’s please refer via Advice and Guidance module on Choose and Book where your referral letter will be screened by a consultant.
Other practitioners: Please refer through a letter where it will be screened and advice and guidance given or your referral moved onto the next stage.
To contact the team directly our email address is (for Southampton patients ONLY): southamptonpainteam@solent.nhs.uk
Information sheet for referrers (Portsmouth)
Information sheet for referrers (South East Hampshire)