Patients push York health chiefs for back pain injections (From York Press)

Patients push York health chiefs for back pain injections

8:23am Thursday 11th March 2010 in

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HEALTH bosses in York are again being asked to reconsider a decision to screen who is eligible for injections to relieve chronic back pain.

The York & District Pain Management Support Group said it was still receiving daily calls from people who claimed their lives would be severely restricted if they were unable to get the injections.

However, Jill Clark, of the support group, said NHS North Yorkshire and York was “unmovable” on the decision.

She said: “I find I am getting a lot of calls from people who are in despair.

“I believe the people who are having these injections have already tried everything and have diagnosed conditions.”

One such patient is 76-year-old Jenny Hutchinson, who has received the injections every four months to ease her osteoarthritis back pain.

Jenny said: “If we don’t get the injections we need to keep us mobile it will be more expensive in the long-run as we will be taking up beds as in-patients rather than being out-patients.”

Jenny, of Chapelfields, said if she was unable to have the regular injections it would prevent her from doing the “normal things in life,” such as going to the shops.

NHS North Yorkshire and York chose not to routinely fund spinal injections for back pain last November, saying it must focus on buying services giving the best possible clinical outcomes to ensure value for money.

Dr David Geddes, medical director of the trust, said the decision was not a cost-saving measure and pointed out that the alternative treatment package, which he said was recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), could cost more.

However he did offer a glimmer of hope, saying: “I am aware that NICE is considering clarifying areas of ambiguity within their guidelines on the management of back pain.

“We have a responsibility to reflect NICE guidance in our commissioning of health services and therefore any changes will be reflected in our plans to develop pain services locally.”