A Paralympic dressage horse rider, who has overcome
persistent pain to fulfil her dreams, has praised the launch of
revised guidance by the Welsh Government to improve outcomes and
experiences for people suffering from chronic pain.
Persistent pain can affect anyone of any age, at any time. It is
estimated between 33% and 50% of the adult population in the UK
live with some form of persistent pain, which equates to as many
as 1.3 million people in Wales.
These conditions can have a serious effect on mental health,
ability to work, and relationships with friends and family.
New Living with Persistent Pain guidance launched today is
focused on helping people to develop skills to manage persistent
pain for themselves in their day-to-day life.
This includes supported self-management, improving awareness of
persistent pain for primary care staff and the public, advising
on the range of management techniques and online tools available,
and improved information sharing.
Julia Godden broke her back in July 2018 having previously
survived cancer. She suffers with persistent pain in her back due
to her injury, and pain in her left leg and hands due to the
effects of chemotherapy.
Julia developed techniques to cope by attending a Education
Programmes for Patients (EPP) scheme in Gwent, which she now
runs.
She has won National Championships, representing Wales and Great
Britain, and most recently won the Para Winter Championships
2023.
She said:
“I joined the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) while in
a wheelchair following chemotherapy treatment for cancer.
"I have spent an awfully large part of my life laid up in
hospital beds, and at home being incredibly unwell and injured. I
made the decision that if I was well enough to get up then I
would always have a goal and that I would focus on that to help
me achieve as much as I can while I can. My current goals are to
raise money for charities by walking marathons on my crutches and
to make it to the Olympics as a Para Dressage rider.
“I manage my pain with tools I learnt by attending the EPP
program, which I now administer. I generally expect my pain level
to be around a five out of ten, and that will escalate depending
on my workload and due to impromptu flare ups.
“I feel this new guidance will help address the
misconception that just because you have pain you need to stop. I
also hope it will help people to gain confidence in themselves
and find support with setting goals and working towards them.”
Health Minister Eluned Morgan launched the new guidance at the
first Persistent Pain Conference for Wales.
She said:
“Persistent pain can have major impacts on a person’s quality of
life as well as their families. With the right information and
support, we can develop persistent pain services in a way that
produces better outcomes and experiences for these individuals.
“It is important to Welsh Government that people are supported to
take a more active role in their own care. The guidance published
today does this by promoting principles of self-management,
co-production,
and shared decision-making. It shifts the focus on the person,
what matters to them, and not just the medical issue.
“I look forward to working closely with all key stakeholders in
the years ahead to deliver on the recommendations of this
important piece of work.”
Notes to editors
People experiencing
persistent pain: guidance | GOV.WALES
