We're here to provide rehabilitation to allow children and young people to live alongside pain. Please note that once we receive a referral the referrer and possibly relevant professionals will need to attend a virtual professionals consultation before the family can be offered an appointment.
Who can refer
Consultant paediatricians can make a referral.
Where the young person is actively under the care of a consultant paediatrician, we may consider a referral from a:
- consultant in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS)
- consultant in another hospital specialty
- therapist in liaison with a consultant
- GP on behalf of a consultant team
How to refer
Please email the referral form (276KB) to gst-tr.EvelinaChronicPain@nhs.net.
You can also use EPIC in basket 11712000102 ELCH paed rheumatology (chronic pain) referrals.
Referral inclusion criteria
Increased urgency
A diagnosis or suspicion of complex regional pain syndrome needs an urgent referral.
Child, young person and family
- Patient referral must be received before their 17th birthday
- Pain must be the predominant symptom lasting for more than 3 months
- Pain cannot be explained by an underlying pathology or health condition
- The family or carers have given informed consent for this referral
Referrals from local services
- Children must be under the care of a consultant paediatrician and remain under the care of the local team for the duration of their time in the service
- The patient must have been seen in person by a paediatrician and have had a general assessment, including investigations of underlying organic causes for pain
- All necessary local referral options such as child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), social care, safeguarding and physiotherapy wherever appropriate, should have been processed and accepted
- Referrer must make sure all professionals involved are aware of the referral to the chronic pain service where appropriate.
Many young people who live with pain also live with neurodiversity. We suggest these factors are considered before referral, where possible.
Safeguarding management should be led by local services.
Referral exclusion criteria
We will not accept referrals for:
- pain that has not been adequately assessed and investigated and could be related to treatable underlying conditions. In this case please seek support from your local or specialist teams
- a young person that is having active orthopaedic treatment or with pending orthopaedic surgical procedures
- chronic fatigue as the primary reason for referral
- concurrent involvement or referral to another pain or fatigue team
- significant mental health difficulties including severe mood disturbance, self-harm, suicidal intent, severe weight concerns, generalised anxiety disorder that are not under the active care of local emotional wellbeing services. As a tertiary paediatric chronic pain service, we are not in a position to monitor or manage risk of self-harm, suicide or risk to others. This is something that needs to be managed by local GPs, paediatricians and mental health services
- patient and family or carers only seeking pharmacological intervention
- erythromelalgia (these referrals must be to be sent to Great Ormond Street Hospital)