Royal College of Nursing (2025) UK career framework for pain nurses. London: RCN.

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Clinical resources on RCN Learn

• Explore the range of quality-assured resources and courses we offer on pain.

Arthritis UK (2021) Chronic pain in England: Unseen unequal unfair.

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British Pain Society (2019) Outcome measures. London: BPS.

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Faculty of Pain Medicine (2021) Core standards for pain management services in the UK. 2nd edn. London: Royal College of Anaesthetists.

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Faculty of Pain Medicine (2025) Opioids aware: a resource for patients and healthcare professionals to support prescribing of opioid medicines for pain. London: Royal College of Anaesthetists.

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Live Well with Pain (2026)

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NHS Choices: 10 ways to reduce pain

• Information aimed at the public.
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NHS England: Opioid prescribing for chronic pain.

• Please check that guidance is applicable for your country
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North East and North Cumbria ICB (2023) Painkillers Don’t Exist.

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SIGN (2025) Guidelines: Management of chronic pain (Part 1).

• Please check that guidance is applicable for your country
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We would like to thank the RCN Pain and Palliative Care member community for their input into the development of this subject guide.

Ambron R (2022) The brain and pain: breakthroughs in neuroscience. New York: Columbia University Press.

• Access through RCN Library

Attal N and Bouhassira D (eds.) (2023) Neuropathic pain. New York: Oxford University Press.

• Access through RCN Library

Collantes Celador E, Rudiger J and Tameem A (eds.) (2022) Essential notes in pain medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• Access through RCN Library

Erdine S and Staats P S (eds.) (2022) Complications of pain-relieving procedures: an illustrated guide. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.

• Access through RCN Library

Hogans B (2022) Pain medicine at a glance. Hoboken: Wiley Blackwell.

• Access through RCN Library

Hossain A (2021) The pain gap: How sexism and racism in healthcare kill women. New York: Simon & Schuster.

• Access through RCN Library

Lalkhen A (2022) Pain: what it is, why it happens and how to cope. London: Atlantic Books. 

• Access through RCN Library

Sharma M, Simpson K H, Bennett M I and Gupta S (2022) Practical management of complex cancer pain. 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

• Access through RCN Library

Smith, W.R. and Lipato, T. (eds.) (2025) Management of sickle cell pain. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

• Access through RCN Library

Twycross A, Stinson J, Zempsky W and Jordan A (2024) Managing pain in children and young people: a clinical guide. 3rd edn. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.

• Access through RCN Library

Use these links to see details of books the RCN libraries hold on each topic.

• Acute pain
• Chronic pain
• Neuropathic pain
• Pain
• Pain and palliative care
• Pain management

• Acute pain
• Chronic pain
• Neurological pain
• Pain
• Pain and palliative care
• Pain and therapy
• Pain management

Journals of interest for pain. Use these links to see details of availability.

• British Journal of Pain
• Journal of Headache and Pain
• Journal of Pain Research
• Physical resource available in London
  Pain Management Nursing
• Pain Reports
• Pain Research & Management