Pain is a complex, multidimensional experience that affects every aspect of a person's life, contributing to physical, psychological and social well-being. It affects 70% of people in acute settings (Gregory and McGowen, 2016), 30-50% of those with cancer experience pain during and after treatment (Snijders et al., 2023), and approximately 50% of the UK population lives with chronic pain (Fayaz et al., 2016). It generates billions in cost; driving 40% of workforce sickness absences, and accounting for roughly half of all GP consultations (Kang et al., 2023).

Despite this, access to specialist pain services across the UK remains inconsistent. The Faculty of Pain Medicine found that no service meets the required standard, with significant variation across the four nations (Copley et al., 2025). Patients face prolonged waits to access vital specialist pain services.

Nurses are crucial to supporting those living with pain across all care settings. Yet evidence indicates that many lack the knowledge and confidence needed, with fears and misconceptions around pain medication remaining common (Galligan et al., 2024). Pain education is also frequently absent from undergraduate programmes. To fulfil their role effectively, nurses must be equipped with the right knowledge, skills, and access to specialist pain services.

References

Copley S, Bretherton B, Carty S, Brown M, Mishra S, Kato Clarke E, Baranidharan G and Srivastava D (2025) GAP Analysis Working Group. A GAP analysis of the current state of Pain Management Services in the UK, 2024, BJA Open, 30 (14), 100414. doi: 10.1016/j.bjao.2025.100414.

Fayaz A, Croft P, Langford RM, Donaldson LJ and Jones GT (2016) Prevalence of chronic pain in the UK: a systematic review and meta-analysis of population studies, BMJ Open, 20(6), e010364. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010364.

Galligan M, Verity R and Briggs E (2024) Exploring health professionals' knowledge of cancer-related pain: a scoping review, British Journal of Nursing, 33(5). doi: 10.12968/bjon.2024.33.5.S4.

Gregory J and McGowen L (2016) An examination of the prevalence of acute pain for hospitalised adult patients: a systematic review, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 25(5-6), pp. 583-598. doi: 10.1111/jocn.13094.

Kang Y, Trewern L, Jackman J, McCartney D and Soni A (2023) Chronic pain: definitions and diagnosis, BMJ, 381, e076036. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2023-076036.

Snijders RAH, Brom L, Theunissen M, and van den Beuken-van Everdingen MHJ (2022) Update on Prevalence of Pain in Patients with Cancer 2022: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis, Cancers (Basel), 15(3). doi: 10.3390/cancers15030591.