Painkiller Addiction Information Network Trustees Annual Report 01/09/2021 – 31/08/2022
Administrative Details:
Charity: Painkiller Addiction Information Network (PAIN)
Registration Number: 1162961
Registered Address: 55 Sedlescombe Road South, St Leonards-on-Sea, TN38 0TJ
Board of Trustees: Dr Yasir Abbasi, Jason Foster, Albert Kemp, Dr Navjot Ahluwalia, Vicki Edwards
Chief Executive: Cathryn Kemp
Banking: NatWest, Havelock Road, Hastings, TN34 1GW
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Painkiller Addiction Information Network (PAIN) Trustee Report for the year ended 31 August 2022
Structure, Governance and Management
Governing Document:
Painkiller Addiction Information Network (PAIN) is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) under charity number 1162961. PAIN’s Constitution was adopted on 29[th] September 2014.
Organisational Structure:
PAIN’s Board of Trustees is responsible for the management and control of the charity. The trustees work on an entirely voluntary basis, giving their time and skills to the charity for no remuneration except for reimbursement of travel and subsistence incurred through attending charity board meetings. They are assisted by Chief Executive Cathryn Kemp who heads the charity providing direction and carrying out tasks assigned by the trustees. The trustees and chief executive meet four times a year.
Recruitment and Appointment of New Trustees:
PAIN’s Constitution outlines the appointment of trustees to the charity. The Board of Trustees is responsible for recruiting and appointing new trustees for a term of two years. The appointment of a new trustee is discussed and then voted on by the board, and the duties and responsibilities are outlined to the new trustee, along with copies of the charity constitution, the latest copy of the Trustee's Annual report and statement of accounts.
New trustees are selected on the basis of their specific skills in the area of addiction to prescribed painkillers or pain research. Once new trustees are appointed they are given a copy of the charity’s governing documents and links to roles and responsibilities via the Charities Commission www.gov.uk website.
As PAIN is a small charity, trustees work in their specific fields advancing the aims of the charity, bringing their knowledge together for particular activities or projects run by the charity. New trustee Vicki Edwards joined PAIN during this administrative and financial year. She brings experience in event planning and management as well as public relations. Currently, PAIN has three trustees from the pain and addiction fields, and one trustee who is a former chief executive.
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Aims and Objectives
Aims:
PAIN has been formed to advance the awareness of addiction to medicines in the UK and globally, particularly through the dissemination of information, educational events and as an advocacy service to patients with dependency issues and promote health and well-being.
Objectives:
PAIN aims to achieve the following:
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Education - To raise awareness among healthcare services and patients about addiction to prescribed and over the counter (OTC) painkillers.
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Help & Support – To offer advice and resources to those suffering from dependence on opioid painkillers. To support families of those who have been affected by OPD (Opioid Painkiller Dependence). To provide a context for recovery and resources. Telephone helpline for patients who may feel they have a problem.
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Identification - To help identify addiction to opioid painkillers by healthcare services and patients. Identification tools such as screening tools, dedicated publications and information leaflets
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Advocacy - To help de-stigmatise the nature of addiction to opioid painkillers through outward-reaching education.
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Recovery - To identify recovery pathways and offer information and help patients access them.
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Connection & Collaboration -To make connections and collaborations with other bodies who are working in pain services and addiction services. To facilitate shared dialogue.
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Campaigning - To have a voice in light of national and international discussions about the inappropriate prescribing of opioid painkillers. To have a voice in the formulation of treatment pathways and after-care for patients. To further increase the remit to prescribed drug dependence.
Public Benefit
PAIN brings together agencies from the pain and addiction services with the aim of raising awareness of opioid painkiller dependence (OPD), and in doing so, improving services for the identification and treatment of people who have become addicted to their prescribed painkillers and other medicines, or who have bought them for pain relief.
We believe that OPD is a serious problem in the UK. Public Health England has produced commissioning guidance on this matter, and we believe this is a sign of growing pressure to address the matter by national policymakers.
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In the UK, 5.4% of adults between the ages of 16 and 59 had abused a painkiller that had not been prescribed to them. Prevalence estimates point to a rate of 0.3%, or over 190,000 cases of prescription OPD in the UK, which is significantly higher than in other European countries.
On the basis of these figures (which do not include the whole gamut of addictive medicines such as sleeping tablets, benzodiazepines, gabapentin etc, and do not include prevalence data for over-the-counter medication), the approximate cost to the NHS of patients addicted to prescribed medicine is as high as £3.5 billion.
The benefits of creating a charity that is dedicated to raising awareness of addiction to medicines are many; improving the health and well-being of those addicted and their families, improving potential quality of life and better training and ultimately resources for primary and secondary healthcare professionals.
Through the dissemination of information, PAIN provides resources and support for those affected and their families. It helps patients access pain treatment, and GPs and prescribers.
Activities and Achievements
PAIN furthered its charitable purposes for the public benefit in a variety of ways:
- Dissemination of Information/Education/Advocacy: Dr Yasir Abbasi and Cathryn Kemp were speakers at healthcare conferences, specialist events concerning opioid painkiller dependence, GP training events and pharmaceutical meetings, talking about OPD to commissioners, prescribers and healthcare professionals.
Dr Abbasi set up the first and second iPAM (International Psychiatry and Addiction Masterclass) from the UAE, in October 2020 and 2021, with the third event scheduled for 14th October or 18[th] November 2023 (tentative). This event will include speakers from the pain and addiction fields including Cathryn Kemp.
- Identification/Education/Advocacy/Dissemination of Information/Campaigning: PAIN took part in the 1st Prescribing in Pain Symposium where stakeholders converged to improve education for pain management. Their aim for the event is to gather best practices that can be used to enhance patient care and treatment.
Dr Yasir Abbasi participated in the expert reference group for the study Medicines Associated With Dependence or Withdrawal: a MixedMethods Public Health Review and National Database Study.
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- Education/Advocacy/Dissemination of Information/Connection & Collaboration : Dr. Yasir Abbasi and Cathryn Kemp joined the Opioid Painkiller Expert Group which aims to bring together experts in the fields of pain and addiction.
PAIN attended the Improving Outcomes in the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (IOTOD) between the 11th-12th of May 2022. The IOTOD Conference is an educational initiative that aims to improve opioid dependence in healthcare through different programs. Cathryn Kemp was a keynote speaker on Opioid Analgesia Dependence Management: Are We Doing Enough?
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Connection & Collaboration/Advocacy/Campaigning: PAIN remains part of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Prescribed Drug Dependence, led by Danny Kruger, MP, and the Earl of Sandwich, Luke Montagu of the Council for Evidence-Based Psychiatry, campaigning and lobbying policymakers, MPs, peers and Lords to create specialised services for OPD patients and those addicted to prescribed medication. https://prescribeddrug.org
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Help & Support: As part of the APPG on PDD, PAIN continues to campaign for a national 24-hour helpline for addiction to medicines, to help those suffering, and their families.
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Advocacy/Dissemination of Information: PAIN has been a central voice in the national and international media, speaking about addiction to opioid medicines, sharing the personal journey of addiction to prescribed painkillers, and calling for recognition and awareness of patients who continue to suffer negative consequences to their health and lives.
PAIN has discussed the over-prescribing of opioids to chronic health patients, and is calling for a minimum of yearly pain reviews for patients on these medications.
- Education/Advocacy/Dissemination of Information/Connection & Collaboration: The first PAIN Virtual Run to raise funds for the charity was initiated by Albert Kemp and its first run took place in February 2021.
Dr Yasir Abbasi attended the Iraqi Association for Medical Research and Studies (IAMRS) Addiction Conference, Iraq 8th Oct 2022. In cooperation with our partners at IAMRS, PAIN wanted to highlight important scientific recommendations and best practices that identify a clear path for all authorities on how to deal with the spread of drugs and addiction. These recommendations and best practices were broadcasted to attendees and circulated to all media outlets.
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- Digital Media Resources: PAIN continues to offer its website www.painkillerfree.co.uk which has resources and support for those afflicted, and their families.
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Financial Review – PAIN Financial Position and Forecast
Painkiller Addiction Information Network Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31[st] August 2022
Aug 2022 Opening cash £1123.95 Income £ 0 Expenses £ 0 Total Expenses £ 0 Closing Cash Balance £1123.95 Balance Sheet Assets £0 Cash £0 General Reserves P&L £ same as closing cash balance
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