Stepping Hill Hospital’s service for supporting inpatients experiencing pain has won several national awards from the National Acute Pain Symposium in recognition of their outstanding work.

Service consultant Dr Tom Walton received the title of ‘Acute Pain Consultant of the Year’ for his work in the hospital’s Acute Pain Service, and the team also received both 1st and 3rd prizes for their poster presentations on areas of pain management.

The National Acute Pain Symposium (NAPS) is the largest Acute Pain Meeting in the UK and the longest running Acute Pain Meeting in the world. This year saw pain specialist clinicians attend from across the country, following the postponement due to lockdown last year. As well as sharing expertise and best practice, the symposium also honours some of the best work in the field of managing pain.

Dr Tom Walton was appointed as a consultant at the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust Acute Pain Service two years ago. The service is involved in both training and education for clinical, medical and surgical staff, and also direct support and advice for patients themselves, in areas such as post-operative recovery. 

He was described by colleagues as an inspirational and enthusiastic consultant despite the challenges and redeployments of COVID-19 and lockdown, and a beacon of knowledge and support, with an egalitarian approach to education. His enthusiasm and passion for pain management is valued greatly by his colleagues and also his patients, many hundreds of whom have benefited from the support of the team.

In addition to the accolade of Acute Pain Consultant of the Year, the Acute Pain Service won two awards for their poster presentations; 1st Prize for “Too Cool for School: Impact of attendance at joint school on post-op outcome”, and 3rd Prize for “Telling FIBs: using hip fracture management as a pilot of service development.” Both posters allowed the team to share their expertise in the pain management of patients following hip and other joint operations.

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust Deputy Medical Director Dilraj Sandher said “Hospital inpatients suffering from the pressures of pain need and deserve the very best in care and support, and that’s what exactly what our Pain Service provides, both directly for patients themselves and by educating and training other clinical staff. I am delighted to see Dr Tom Walton and the rest of the team receiving these awards from the National Acute Pain Symposium; they really are much deserved.”