Britons wait six years for chronic pain treatment

Sufferers of chronic pain may want to seek out private medical cover in order to avoid lengthy waits for effective treatment.

According to a new study sponsored by drug company Pfizer, Britain's eight million chronic pain sufferers have to wait an average of six years before receiving helpful treatment.

The Pain Proposal report found that people Britain with chronic pain wait an average of three years just for a diagnosis, twice the length of those in Italy, France and Belgium.

It is then another three years before a treatment is found that allows them to manage their symptoms effectively.

The effects of chronic pain can be so severe that the report found that of 2,251 British sufferers, four in ten were left unable to work because of the condition, while a quarter said it had led to depression.

Dr Beverly Collett, consultant in pain medicine at University Hospitals of Leicester and chair of the Chronic Pain Policy Coalition, told the Daily Telegraph: "Chronic pain not only imposes a huge burden on people's lives but seriously impacts society.

"Inefficiencies in management of chronic pain mean that people with the condition are either not being treated or are waiting years for adequate management, resulting in many people unable to achieve their full potential in the workplace."

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