Paediatric Pain Services

Pain Services at John Hunter Children's Hospital

Within the John Hunter Children's Hospital there is many staff skilled in managing children's pain. These include Emergency Department staff, Paediatricians and Neonatologists, Anaesthetists, ward nurses and doctors, as well as Art, Music and Play Therapists.

Inpatient Pain Service

If your child needs to stay in hospital, a doctor may refer your child to the Inpatient Pain Service for extra assistance in helping with pain from illness, injury or surgery.  This team of specialised doctors and nurses operates 24 hours / 7 days per week and will visit your child daily or as needed.

Complex and Chronic Pain Service

A service specifically for children and young people with complex or chronic pain was added to these existing services in 2004.  Complex pain problems may include those associated with acute or chronic medical or surgical conditions, cancer, cancer treatments, and persisting pain of unknown cause.  Such pain problems may have a big effect on how young people function (grow, move, learn) and how they feel (about themselves, family and friends).

This service aims to provide outpatient assessment, management and support to children and young people from the Hunter, New England or North Coast regions.  The outpatient clinic is located in the Paediatric Outpatient Department, John Hunter Children's Hospital.   A consultation service is also provided for children with complex and chronic pain who are admitted to John Hunter Children's Hospital.

In 2010, this complex and chronic pain service combined with the new Paediatric Palliative Care Service (see separate website information under Palliative Care) to form the Paediatric Pain & Palliative Care Service.

Our Staff

The Inpatient Pain Service comprises various Pain Medicine and Anaesthesia specialists, registrars and nurses. 

The Paediatric Pain & Palliative Care Service comprises a pain medicine specialist, a specialist paediatric palliative care doctor, a paediatric registrar, a senior nurse and a senior social worker.  The Service works with physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychology and psychiatry services, play therapy and community services, to tailor care to the needs of each child or young person.  In the future, the Service will also have involvement of other allied health practitioners and volunteers.

What we do

The Inpatient Pain Service (IPS) requires a referral from a child's admitting doctor or anaesthetist.  An IPS nurse and/or doctor will then assess your child's needs and give you and your child's admitting doctor pain management advice.  Your child's admitting doctor and team continue to be the primary health care providers for your child whilst in hospital.  Sometimes, the IPS can help you and your general practitioner with advice and referral for ongoing pain management if this is still needed after leaving hospital.

The Complex and Chronic Pain Service also requires a referral from a medical practitioner.  Patients must also have been assessed by a relevant specialist before referral (usually a Paediatrician, Paediatric Surgeon or Orthopaedic Surgeon).  If your child is in hospital at the time of referral, a member of the team will arrange to meet your child and family on the ward for assessment and care planning.  Children not needing to be in hospital are seen in the Paediatric Outpatient Clinic.  New patients generally have a 60 minute appointment to meet the Pain Specialist for assessment and initial advice.  Appointments with other team members and follow-up appointments are arranged as needed.

Contact us

If you feel that the Paediatric Pain Services and/or Paediatric Palliative Care Service might be helpful in your circumstances, you will first need to discuss this with a doctor involved in the child/young person's care and obtain a referral to the Service.

If there has been a referral, please phone and leave a message with our Secretary via John Hunter Hospital switch (02)49 213000 and one of our team members will contact you.