Rethinking Chronic Pain: A New Vision for Primary Care

In the article, published in the journal Pain Management (where I also serve on the Editorial Board), we argue that chronic pain shouldn’t be treated as a purely medical puzzle to solve. Instead, GPs need the confidence and tools to recognise persistent pain early and to guide people toward forms of help that reflect their lived experiences, cultural identities and personal priorities.

Our reflections draw heavily on the Rethinking Pain community-based service for adults living with long-term pain in the Bradford and Craven area (here). The Rethinking Pain service is led by Keighley Healthy Living (KHL) a charity that supports the health, wellbeing, and social connection of local residents, focusing on tackling inequalities through weekly groups, exercise classes, and health-coaching (here).

We describe how the Rethinking Pain model supports GPs to deepen their understanding of pain science while linking people with non‑medical forms of help—peer support, wellbeing activities, lifestyle guidance, and wider community‑based services. Importantly, the approach recognises the essential role GPs already play in chronic pain care. What’s needed is not more time in the consultation room, but a shift in mindset, confidence, and connection.

By equipping GPs with better tools, training, and networks, this model enables more effective and holistic intervention, helping to reduce repeated consultations and disrupt the familiar cycle of high‑frequency GP use among people living with chronic pain. In doing so, it aligns closely with national ambitions for safer, more sustainable approaches to pain management. Crucially, it isn’t about longer appointments—it’s about better conversations and stronger links beyond the clinic, with the voluntary community and social enterprise sector.

And for me, the moral thread running through all of this feels increasingly important. People living with pain who also face poverty, discrimination or social exclusion are too often left behind. What if rethinking pain care is really about rethinking fairness itself?

Reference

Jamil S, Page K, Suleman A, Tabasam G, Thompson K, Johnson MI. Rethinking pain: a paradigm shift in primary care for chronic pain via community-based, culturally-responsive GP support. Pain Manag. 2025;15(12):1015–1025. DOI: 10.1080/17581869.2025.2570114.