Get Involved

What is ‘Get Involved’?

We are a group of patients who have been through the Pain Service and we have got together with the clinicians in the team to review the services that are being offered. This is with a bid to seeing if there are any ways in which the service can be improved.

We also work as a group to offer feedback when new services are in production. We look at that and see what we think of it and what areas could be improved.

We represent people who have lived experience of pain. We have a passion to help other people access the support they need, and being part of this group enables us to be active participants of steering change and improving services, with the patient voice held at the centre of that.

We all have different areas of experience and are able to ‘give something back’ in different ways.

Who is it aimed at?

If you live with pain and have an opinion about how you think people with pain can be better supported by your local Pain Service – then this group is for you. You can be as actively involved as you feel able to, and we ask that you bring a sense of kindness, proactivity and willingness to respect different views and opinions as we work together.

If you are currently involved in treatment with us at the moment, that doesn’t need to stop you from joining up and having a say. We would please ask that you have completed your first course of treatment.

What is the main focus of the group?

• To improve the experience and management of people with pain in South Devon
• To provide a resource for anyone with persistent pain
• To open up a network of members with other people who experience pain, where people can:
  • Share experiences
  • Support each other
  • Identify similar interests that help people stay connected with important and purposeful lives

Become an ‘Involver’

Become an ‘Involver’ and you’ll join a growing group of people who play a part in everything we do – and who are determined to make sure that no-one faces a pain condition alone.

This can incude reviewing materials, contributing your thoughts and ideas to new service developments, revision/improving patient experience for existing services e.g. feedback about seminars and short courses, help to consider suitable new venues to run services from.

What is a Pain Service volunteer?

This is someone who has gone through the same process as the hospital volunteers and completed a DBS check and been successful at interview to have an Honoury contract with the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust. They go on and help with whatever area requires it, for example:

• Helping people who have been admitted to hospital to reduce their medications (Opioid tapering)
• Assisting people who may suffer with a specific pain condition such as phantom limb pain, or Fibromyalgia Syndrome
• Helping to run Reconnect2Life short courses with a lead clinician such as Tai Chi or ReACTiv8

How do I become a Pain Service volunteer?

Volunteering can be a really rewarding and useful experience – and there’s probably more ways of doing it than you might think.

Contact us

You can email our Administration Lead using our contact form.

Alternatively phone 01803 654251 during office hours 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday.