Patient information

Pain management
- Clinics
- Team
- Information
- Referrals

Find out what to expect at your pain management appointment.

Before your appointment

If you are unsure whether you are coming for a clinic appointment or an injection please contact the clinic reception before to clarify.

You are welcome to bring a relative, close friend or carer with you to your appointment. If you are coming for a procedure (e.g. an injection), you must be accompanied by a responsible adult to make sure you reach home safely afterwards.

Please wear clean clothes that will remove easily if you require physical examination or are attending for a procedure such as a spinal injection. If you have been sent questionnaires/forms to fill out prior to the consultation please complete this before your appointment as it will make sure our clinical care can be as effective as possible.

If you are taking medications to prevent the blood clotting such as Warfarin or Clopidogrel please make the clinical team aware of this. National guidelines recommend withholding Warfarin for five days and Clopidogrel for seven days before an injection. Both these types of tablets may be restarted the day after the procedure.

Please bring with you:

a list of all of the tablets that you are taking
your full address and telephone number(s)
your appointment card and appointment letter
your GP’s name and address
money to pay for any prescriptions, or an exemption card
a list of questions you may want to ask your consultant
any scans/images/computer discs/records from any tests or investigations that have been performed at other hospitals that you would like the doctor to review
anything else specified in your appointment letter

During your appointment

When you arrive please go to level two, south wing at Charing Cross Hospital.

Please arrive on time or slightly early for your appointment to avoid delaying the patients who are due to arrive after you. Unfortunately some appointments and procedures can take significantly longer than predicted and this can cause delays of 30 minutes or longer on some occasions, we do apologise if this happens and will keep you updated.

Please note that we are a teaching hospital, so medical students may be present for some appointments. If you do not wish to have them in the room please let the nurse or doctor know and the students will be asked to step outside.

An outpatient clinic consultation may take between 15 and 60 minutes. Procedures can take up to three hours in total including preparation, the procedure itself and resting in the recovery room.

When you come to the pain management centre at Charing Cross Hospital you will be assessed by either a doctor, physiotherapist, psychologist or nurse. During the assessment, the clinician will ask you many questions about your pain and how it affects you. They may also want to examine you. At the end of the consultation there will be time to explain and to discuss any pain management plans.

It is common for patients to receive a physical examination during their appointments. All our staff are respectful of patients' dignity. If you are concerned about having a routine physical examination or specifically require a chaperone please make this clear prior to your appointment. Our staff consist of male and female clinicians and we cannot guarantee that you will be seen by a clinician of a particular gender for logistical reasons.

After your appointment

Follow on management techniques may include medications, physiotherapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (electric currents applied through the skin to stimulate nerves), acupuncture or injections. Patients may also be referred for consideration of suitability for a place on our pain management programme.