For Patients and Visitors
What is the Service?
Persistent Chronic Pain Service provides assessment, diagnosis, management and review of chronic pain problems. This service is for people who are experiencing issues with persistent or chronic ain despite usual medical and community care. The program works to assist clients to manage their pain using an active service model.
To be eligible clients must have pain that has been present for at least 3 of the last 6 months.
What can I expect from the service?
Clients referred to the service have access to:
- Medical pain specialist
- Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Health Psychology, Exercise Physiology and other allied health services.
- A targeted education program.
Most clients referred to the program will be required to complete a pain questionnaire. This information assists with triaging patients into their initial point of entry into the program and provides baseline information regarding the patient’s status.
The Persistent Chronic Pain Service runs across two Northern Health sites:
Broadmeadows Hospital
Clinic operates on: Monday
Services can be offered from Monday to Friday
Bundoora Campus
Clinic operates on: Friday morning
Services can be offered from Monday to Friday
What do I bring/need for my appointment?
Please bring a list of current medications, relevant scans or results.
How much does it cost?
There can be a cost to attending the Persistent (Chronic) Pain Service of up to $5.
If client is ineligible for Medicare the referral for the service will need to be reviewed by management.
Contact us
For referrals or enquiries regarding this service please contact the Community Access Service team
Free Call: 1300 128 539
Fax: 8405 8616
For Health Professionals
Service Overview
The Persistent (Chronic) Pain Service provides assessment, diagnosis, management and review of persistent or chronic pain problems. This service is for people who are experiencing issues with persistent or chronic pain despite usual medical and community care. The program works to assist clients to manage their pain using an active service model. Please find below details of services we provide.
Northern Health Persistent (Chronic) Pain Service Referral Guidelines and Services Provided (incorporating Statewide Referral Criteria) Click here
Patients eligible for our service must include one or more of the following:
- Persistent or chronic pain (>3 months duration) with symptoms that impact on daily activities including impact on work, study, school or carer role
- Open to exploring living well with pain and learning to self-manage ongoing pain
- At risk of functional or psychological deterioration, or medication dependence
- Multiple presentations for exacerbations of pain despite adequate treatment in previous 12 months (exercise and analgesia)
Service not offered at Northern Health:
- Patients that are currently not willing to explore living well with pain and not willing to learn to self-manage ongoing pain
- Patients currently undertaking another chronic pain management program
- Patients that have already completed a multidisciplinary, comprehensive chronic pain management program or service for the same identifiable cause of pain where their clinical symptoms, or their readiness to undertake a chronic pain management program, remains unchanged
- Patients who only want an intervention such as an injection or dry needling
- Active compensable claim – TAC, Workcover
- Patients under the age of 18 years
- Medicinal cannabis prescriptions – for guidance and information click here for HealthPathways Melbourne (enter search ‘medicinal cannabis’)
How to Refer:
GP Referrals: Use HealthLink to send referrals, results and reports. For more information click here
Other Health Services (hospitals, allied health, specialists etc): Fax your referral to 8405 8616
For further guidance on how to manage specific conditions in general practice, or what specific investigations and information are required for specialist referral, please visit your local HealthPathways website or equivalent online care pathways website.
Click here for HealthPathways Melbourne
Please contact your local PHN if you require login access
Services We Provide:
Clients referred to the service have access to:
- Medical Pain Specialist
- Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Health Psychology, Exercise Physiology and other allied health services.
- A targeted education program with a focus on self-management of pain.
Most clients referred to the program will be required to complete a pain questionnaire. This information assists with triaging patients into their initial point of entry into the program and provides baseline information regarding the patient’s status.
The Persistent (Chronic) Pain Service runs across two Northern Health sites:
Broadmeadows Hospital
Pain Management Clinic operates on: Monday
Allied Health services can be offered from Monday to Friday
Bundoora Campus
Pain Management Clinic operates on: Friday morning
Allied Health services can be offered from Monday to Friday
* Please note: that if a referral fails to meet the minimum referral information it will be declined with notification by letter to referring GP and patient.
Contact us
For enquiries regarding this service please contact the Community Access Service team
Free Call: 1300 128 539
Alternative service options:
- Melbourne Health Pain Clinic
- Austin Health Pain Clinic
- Austin CRPS clinic
- RCH Chronic Pain Clinic
- Barbara Walker Pain Clinic
- Private Pain Services/clinics
