RUH invites feedback on proposed relocation of national, specialised pain services

The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust (RUH) is inviting feedback from those who use or have an interest in pain services currently provided at the Trust's Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (RNHRD) site.

The RNHRD in Bath provides national, specialised services for people with chronic pain, where pain is persistent, disabling and not adequately helped by other treatments. These include pain rehabilitation services provided by the Bath Centre for Pain Services (BCPS), as well as the Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and Complex Cancer Late Effects Rehabilitation (CCLER) services.

The Trust is proposing to relocate these services to the RUH in summer 2019. Patients will have access to the same high quality services, provided by the same team, in a dedicated environment.

This is part of a careful and phased approach to relocating all RNHRD services to the RUH or appropriate community settings, to maximise patient benefit. All other services currently provided at the RNHRD site, including Rheumatology, Therapies, the Bath Centre for Fatigue Management and diagnostic services, will be relocating to the RUH in summer 2019.

We've worked closely with staff and patients over the last few years to ensure the best new home for these specialised services. We're proposing our Bath Centre for Pain services will relocate to a specially refurbished building on our Combe Park site. The RUH site is less than two miles away from the RNHRD site. The new location will be separate from the main RUH building, as our patients tell us a traditional hospital setting is not the best environment for their rehabilitation. It will include specially designed residential accommodation, group treatment areas including therapy and group rooms, office space for the BCPS team and a dedicated therapeutic courtyard area.

We're proposing that our CRPS and CCLER services will be based in our new RNHRD and Therapies Centre, with residential accommodation provided elsewhere on the RUH site. Designed in conjunction with staff and patients, the Centre will bring together services from the RNHRD and a number of outpatient services from the RUH which support patients to live independently in the community. The dedicated day centre environment will offer a therapeutic environment with natural light, art and natural spaces all playing an important role.

Between now and 20 December 2018 we're seeking views from patients, carers, healthcare partners and anyone who has an interest in these services to help our planning, to ensure that we continue to provide the best services for current and future patients.

More information and a brief survey is available online www.ruh.nhs.uk/painrelocation
You can also share your thoughts via email ruh-tr.haveyoursay@nhs.net

ENDS

Notes to Editor

• Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Service
  CRPS is a pain condition of unknown cause that affects the arms or legs and usually occurs after trauma, such as limb fracture or surgery. There are associated problems with movement of the limb and swelling in the affected area. Whereas pain would usually settle as the injury heals, in CRPS the pain continues and spreads beyond the original site of the injury. The majority of patients will make a good recovery in the first year but approximately 30% have persistent symptoms that can result in significant disability and occasional spread of symptoms in to other limbs. The national CRPS service sees patients at any stage of the condition for expert consultation but residential rehabilitation is predominantly focused on those with persistent symptoms and significant disability that is beyond the scope of local or regional pain services.
• Bath Centre for Pain Services (BCPS)
  BCPS is one of the few providers of residential, group-based pain management programmes for adults, young people and children in the UK. The service aims to achieve significant improvements in patient functioning and self-management, particularly for people with long illness and who have tried many different treatments which have had little or no impact.
• Complex Cancer Late Effects Rehabilitation Service
  The service provides treatment for patients who have sustained a radiotherapy induced brachial plexus injury, a rare consequence of radiotherapy treatment for breast cancer. This type of injury was historically more common and is usually associated with now outdated radiotherapy
• The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust provides acute treatment and care for a catchment population of around 500,000 people in Bath, and the surrounding towns and villages in North East Somerset and Western Wiltshire. The hospital provides healthcare to the population served by four Clinical Commissioning Groups: Bath & North East Somerset CCG, Wiltshire CCG, Somerset CCG and South Gloucestershire CCG.
• The Trust has 759 beds and a comprehensive range of acute services including medicine and surgery, services for women and children, accident and emergency services, and diagnostic and clinical support services.
• In 2015 The Royal United Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust acquired the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (RNHRD) NHS Foundation Trust. The RNHRD treats patients from across the country offering services in rheumatology, chronic pain, chronic fatigue syndrome/ME, cancer related fatigue and fatigue linked to other long term conditions such as multiple sclerosis.
• The RUH is changing - we have an exciting programme of redevelopment underway transforming our site and further improving the services we provide. The Trust is building a purpose built RNHRD and Therapies Centre and is now working towards a new Dyson Cancer Centre. For more details visit: www.ruh.nhs.uk/fit4future

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