Manx Care wants to better meet the needs of those with chronic pain.

Its consultation, which is now open, wants opinions from the public and clinicians in the island on how chronic pain is currently managed.

Responses will help to inform the development of new services.

Manx Care would like to understand whether people experiencing long-term (chronic) pain are given access to the right services to meet their needs.

It also wants to know the challenges faced by clinicians in their professional practice when supporting this group of patients.

Chronic pain may begin with an injury where the pain does not resolve as expected, but often it is not clear how the chronic pain started.

Common types of chronic pain include lower back pain, pain related to arthritis, and pain related to injury of a nerve or other part of the nervous system (neuropathic pain).

This pain can range from mild to severe, and can cause low mood, irritability, poor sleep and mobility problems, according to Manx Care.

Additionally, there can be widespread social impacts, including a reduced ability to fulfil familial roles, such as caring for children, and loss of income due to difficulty working.

Quality of life of both those experiencing pain and their families is therefore a factor.

The public consultation, which is available on the government’s consultation hub, asks those who are experiencing chronic pain/those around them about the services and support provided to them, as well as asking them to consider what further support they would benefit from.

Maria Bell, pharmaceutical adviser, said: ‘We really would like people’s input into this consultation.

‘It’s so important that we have first-hand views from those affected, and we hope to develop services where we can based on the feedback we gather.’

Anyone experiencing chronic pain is being urged to fill out the survey, which is open until March 6.