Apology issued over Oswestry hospital pain clinic closure
Powys Teaching Health Board has apologised to people who feel they have been left in the lurch after the closure of a pain clinic at Oswestry Orthopaedic Hospital.
Hundreds of people were impacted when the pain clinic at the hospital closed in March.
Around 50 people from Shropshire used the service, a handful from North Wales but the large majority came from Mid Wales.
This week it has been claimed some patients were left 'high and dry', and have not been given alternative care.
PTHB has now apologised and said it will be writing to each patient who has been transferred from the hospital.
Adrian Osborne for the health board said: "We are very sorry that some patients are concerned about their continuity of care and communication following the decision by the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (RJAH) to close their Chronic Pain Service.
Complex
“Following their decision we have been working hard to put alternative pathways in place for Powys patients, some of whom have complex needs.
"The majority of patients previously seen by RJAH are now under the care of our own comprehensive multidisciplinary Pain Management Service for people with persistent pain. The interventions offered are based on the latest National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines and seek to be as accessible to the people of Powys as possible.
“The service offers a range of flexible appointment and treatment options for patients including programmes that can be accessed using Skype or in community settings, as well as initial consultations via telephone.
“We already offer clinics in North Powys, and plan to introduce further services. Recruitment is under way to specialist nursing and physiotherapy roles in our pain management team to help even more people receive chronic pain services within the county.”
“The PTHB Pain Management Service is writing to each patient who has been transferred from RJAH. However, any patient previously under the care of the RJAH Chronic Pain Service can contact the PTHB Pain Management Service if they remain concerned about their follow-up arrangements.”
