Pain Cafes in lower socio-economic regions of Weston-Super-Mare & South Bristol: Evaluation development work
Funding
NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB Research Capability Funding.
What is the problem?
Chronic pain affects nearly half of adults in the UK and is a major cause of disability and loss of income. It is a key priority for BNSSG ICB. Higher numbers of people in lower socio-economic regions of Weston-Super-Mare and South Bristol are affected by chronic pain indicating that it is not being managed equally across communities. This contributes to wider health inequalities. In line with BNSSG’s strategic aim of reducing health inequalities, this research proposes to tackle the progression of disabling chronic pain in these regions.
Pain Cafés are community-based interventions where people living with chronic pain meet regularly in local, non-medical settings. Facilitated sessions provide the opportunity for people to share their pain experience, learn practical tips, and build confidence in managing their pain. Pain Cafes are springing up across the region and vary in how they are run and what they offer. As yet, they have not been thoroughly evaluated to see how well they work for pain.
We wish to find out whether Pain Cafés are effective particularly in lower socioeconomic regions for improving quality of life by reducing disability which in turn reduces reliance on health care usage.
What is the aim of the research?
To achieve this, we first need to develop a structured approach for evaluating Pain Cafés in Weston-super-Mare and South Bristol.
The work will focus on three main areas. First, we will describe what makes a Pain Café successful, including how people access it, what happens in the sessions, where they are held, and how they are delivered. Second, we will decide what should be measured to understand whether Pain Cafés are effective, and which tools and methods are best for collecting this information. Third, we will work with local underserved communities to reach people living with chronic pain who are not currently using support to understand what prevents them from taking part.
To do this, we will describe existing Pain Cafés in these two areas to understand the different ways they are run. We will set up an advisory group including people with lived experience of pain, Pain Café facilitators and local GPs to help decide what information should be collected and how. We will also work with trusted members of underserved communities to understand their experiences, so Pain Cafés can better meet their needs.
How will this be achieved?
This RCF development work will provide a structured evaluation package that can be used to properly assess Pain Cafés. Views of people living with chronic pain in underserved communities will contribute to this. The next stage is a future NIHR RfPB application to test whether the evaluation approach is feasible and acceptable when used in Pain Cafés delivered in different community settings, particularly those located in areas of higher deprivation and low engagement with health services. Results of this feasibility work will inform improvements to both the evaluation tools and how Pain Cafés are delivered.
The longer-term aim of this work is to apply for a NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research (HSDR) grant. This will support a full-scale trial to robustly test whether Pain Cafés are effective in improving quality of life, reducing disability and reliance on healthcare services. The trial will also explore which groups of people benefit most from Pain Cafés, helping ICBs and service providers understand where and for whom this type of support is most valuable.
Who is leading the research?
This research is led by Dr Jenny Lewis, Chronic Pain Health Integration Team (HIT) Co-Director & Associate Professor in Clinical Research, University of the West of England & Lead Clinical Research Occupational Therapist, Bath National Pain Centre, Royal United Hospitals NHS Trust, Bath.
Further information
For more information or to get involved with this project, please email bnssg.research@nhs.net