The Acute Pain Team

We are a team of qualified nurses with a special interest in the management of pain. The pain team (under the umbrella of anaesthetics) cover all areas of the Health Board, caring for both adult and paediatric patients.

As a pain service we care for patients attending for planned and emergency surgery, acute injuries such as fractured ribs, RTC’s (road traffic collisions) or sudden onset of pain. We may also be involved in management of chronic pain patients admitted to hospital with an acute flare up.

Our service is based at three main sites: Royal Gwent Hospital, Grange University Hospital and St Woolos Orthopaedic unit, but can offer help and support either face to face or via telephone to any of the peripheral hospitals within ABUHB.

During your stay in hospital, you may be seen by a different pain nurse on each visit, this is perfectly normal as the team rotates across all the key sites. There are multiple options for pain relief after planned or emergency surgery. The anaesthetist will discuss these with you prior to your surgery, however, your pain nurse will be able to answer any of your questions or concerns during their visit.

Although we are unable to make you pain free, we will do our upmost best to make you as comfortable as possible so that you can get out of bed, do your physiotherapy and go home as quickly as possible. We aim to provide high quality care with YOU the patient at the centre of our decision making. Our treatment plans are evidence based with new techniques being introduced to make the journey more comfortable for the individual.