North Queensland Persistent Pain Management Service

Pain is complex, and each of us experience it differently. With support from healthcare professionals, family, friends and carers, people living with persistent pain of any kind can actively manage it and have a full and meaningful life.

The North Queensland Persistent Pain Management Service (NQPPMS) provides specialist holistic team care to people with a wide variety of diagnosed pain conditions living from Mackay north to the Torres Strait, and out west to the Queensland border. The team provides outreach services to Mt Isa, Cairns and Mackay from the hub service in Townsville; telehealth services are also an option - to connect with clinicians via videoconferencing technology, or phone call.

We see all ages from youth through to the elderly, and are well connected with other specialist teams in the public and primary care systems so we can provide coordinated care across hospital teams and back into your local community. 

Our team is made up of a full team of health professionals - doctors, physiotherapists, psychologists, occupational therapists, pharmacist and nurses, and we offer a range of different services to help people manage pain, such as group and individual sessions of the following:

• understanding pain and how to manage it education sessions
• medical assessments, medication reviews and procedural interventions
• pain management group program, and key pain management skills sessions
• therapy sessions with psychology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy professionals
• Tai Chi and other movement programs such as graded exercise, yoga, hydrotherapy (dependent on location)
• assessments with one or more clinicians at a time to minimise appointment load for consumers

We use a self-management and rehabilitation approach to helping consumers, requiring working collaboratively with people to empower them to be active participants in their healthcare journey and recovery.

A patients first point of contact with NQPPMS is 'EQUIP' which helps consumers make sense of persistent pain and what to do about it. The workshops may be all the assistance some people require; they can then use what they have learned under the care and guidance of the primary care team (GP and allied health). Alternatively, consumers choose a level of engagement with NQPPMS that is appropriate for them.

Referral
Referral is through your healthcare provider