Pain Control Service

The multidisciplinary pain management service at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), established in 1991, was the first in the UK and continues to be a nationally and internationally recognised leader and innovator in the field of clinical management, teaching & training, education and research. 

The service sees 2,500 children and young people with acute and chronic pain annually, in 10,000 face-to-face and telephone consultations.

The pain control team puts interdisciplinary practice at the heart of its service. We work closely with other teams throughout GOSH to facilitate pain management and to encourage good practice in the fields of pain assessment and treatment.

Inpatients who are referred to us with pain following surgery or who require more complex pain management will be visited by the pain control service daily. We work closely with the wards to ensure children and young people at GOSH receive the best possible care for their pain.

Outpatients can be referred to the children's chronic pain management clinic and will be seen by our outpatient team, who will conduct a thorough assessment with a view to putting an appropriate pain management plan in place. 

In order to ensure the best treatment for children and young people with acute and chronic pain, at GOSH and elsewhere, we work with other services to teach and train healthcare professionals about paediatric pain. We work with Practice Educators at GOSH to oversee the training of ward staff in pain management techniques. We also work with external organisations such as the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Royal College of Anaesthetists to promote more effective chronic pain management in the community.