Issue - meetings

Dr Joan Hester, Consultant in Pain Management at King's College Hospital NHS Trust and President of the British Pain Society, and Mr Matthew Kershaw, Chief Operating Officer, East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust, Julia Ross, Director of Civic Engagement, West Kent PCT and representatives from Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust and Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust will be in attendance for this item.

(Dr Joan Hester, Consultant in Pain Management at King's College Hospital NHS Trust and President of the British Pain Society, was in attendance for this item)

(1)       A copy of Dr Hester’s presentation is attached as Appendix 3 to these Minutes.  Members expressed concern that colleagues from the Primary Care Trusts and acute Trusts were not present for this item and asked that the Committee’s disappointment be communicated to them.

(2)       The Committee discussed and questioned with Dr Hester a range of issues around the complex matter of dealing with pain management at various levels.  Dr Hester acknowledged that the Committee was in advance of its counterparts elsewhere in addressing the issue and inviting her to speak on it.

(3)       Members were unanimous that this was a very important issue and one that they should seek to continue to address with colleagues in the Primary Care Trusts and acute Trusts. Health colleagues did not appear to have a strategy or a uniform approach to this important issue, which affected much of the population at some time during their lives.

(4)       RESOLVED that Dr Hester be thanked for a very informative presentation.