Freedom of Information Request – Ref: GHC-01082025-520183
Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request. Please found our response below.
You asked:
1. Patient Numbers & Treatment Modalities (Last 12 Months) For each hospital site or service, please provide: The number of patients seen for each of the following conditions: – PSNP – CRNP (please split into surgically induced and chemotherapy-induced) – PDPN – Please also break this down by hospital department. Treatment Modalities For each hospital site or service, please indicate Yes or No as to whether the following treatment modalities are available for PNP. Where stated yes please provide patient numbers for the latest 12-month period. Gabapentin prescriptions Botulinum toxin (Botox) injections TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) Acupuncture (including PENS – Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) Theatre-based nerve stimulation procedures (e.g., spinal cord stimulators or other implanted/surgical neuromodulation devices) If exact numbers are unavailable, proxy data is acceptable (e.g., the percentage of neuropathic pain patients receiving each treatment modality).
2. Service Provision Does your Trust or provider offer specific or dedicated services for PSNP, CRNP, and/or PDPN? – If yes, please list each relevant service or site (e.g., pain clinic, neurology clinic, diabetic foot clinic, community pain service) along with their addresses. For each listed site or service, please indicate: – The types of healthcare professionals routinely involved (e.g., pain specialists, neurologists, specialist nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists) – The number of staff per role (headcount or FTE if available)
3. Referral Pathways & Service Specifications Are there established care pathways, referral criteria, or service specifications for PSNP, CRNP, and/or PDPN? – If yes, please supply relevant documents or summaries. – If not, please clarify whether these conditions fall under broader chronic pain, MSK, diabetes, or oncology pathways.
4. Clinical Guidelines, Protocols, Strategic Plans Has the Trust developed or contributed to any strategic plans, business cases, or service specifications for PSNP, CRNP, or PDPN? – If so, please provide relevant documents, including any timelines and associated funding information. Are there any specific clinical guidelines, care pathways, or treatment protocols in use? For example: – NICE CG173 – NEUPSIG – Local pathways for diabetes- or oncology-related neuropathy – If yes, please provide copies or summaries of key components.
5. Funding & Budgets What was the total expenditure on neuropathic pain services in the most recent full financial year? – If no specific figure is available, please provide overall pain management funding and any known distribution (e.g., primary/community vs secondary care). – Please indicate the type of funding, e.g. tariff or block contract
6. Planned or Recent Service Changes Are there any recent, ongoing, or planned changes to: – Commissioning arrangements – Referral pathways – Service structure – Clinical treatment options for PSNP, CRNP, or PDPN? If yes, please provide details, including the relevant sites, timelines, and the rationale for these changes.
7. Data Format and Guidance
Our response:
Please redirect your request to Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as we do not host pain services pertinent to the conditions outlined above.
Next steps:
Should you have any queries in relation to our response, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you are unhappy with the response you have received in relation to your request and wish to ask us to review our response, you should write to:
Louise Moss
Head of Legal Services / Associate Director of Corporate Governance
c/o Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Edward Jenner Court
1010 Pioneer Avenue
Gloucester Business Park
Brockworth, GL3 4AW
E-mail: louise.moss@ghc.nhs.uk
If you are not content with the outcome of any review, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for further advice/guidance. Generally, the ICO will not consider your case unless you have exhausted your enquiries with the Trust which should include considering the use of the Trust’s formal complaints procedure. The ICO can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.