PAINAUSTRALIA’S NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Media Release

RIGHT NOW, WOMEN IN AUSTRALIA ARE MORE LIKELY TO LIVE WITH PHYSICAL PAIN IMPACTING ON THEIR ABIILITY TO WORK

20 JUNE 2022

Giulia Jones available for comment (print/radio or TV) via 0439 958 298

New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistic show that women in Australia are more likely than men to experience physical pain that impacts on their ability to work.

The newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of Painaustralia, Mrs Giulia Jones, said this was the central finding of the ABS report. ‘Stressors and bodily pain”.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics report found that:
• 73.9% of women aged 18 years and over experienced bodily pain compared to 68.2% of men
• 63.2% of women aged 18-24 years experienced bodily pain compared to 47.8% of men
• 66.1% of women aged 18 years and over experienced interference with work compared to 58.4% of men.

“Statistics show that pain affects women more than men and it is interesting to note that pain affects all age groups, not just the elderly,” she said.

“These figures confirm the findings of a report Painaustralia commissioned in 2020. The Deloitte Cost of Pain in Australia report estimated that 1.8 million women lived with chronic pain compared to 1.5 million men. It also found there were 168,000 women of working aged between 45 and 49 who were suffering from chronic pain.

Mrs Jones said while we do not know the exact reasons why more women live with pain; we do know many women are affected by endometriosis and pelvic pain.

“What we do know, is that women face a lot of hurdles in the workforce.

“I think these figures underline yet again the need for understanding and compassion in the workplace.

“It is a simple fact that more female workers are suffering from pain on the job. We need to be aware of that.

“As with all long-term pain, we need to gain more knowledge through clinical research on the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments needed.

“We need governments of all levels to fund practical solutions for pain management to ensure that we address this issue and support women to grow their financial strength in the workforce.

“We also know that pain can lead to many Australians being forced to leave the workforce, with 40 per cent of early retirement in Australia due to long-term pain.”

Contact: Giulia Jones 0439 958 298

Chairman’s Message

I am delighted to present Painaustralia’s Annual Report for 2021 – a
constructive and productive year for the organisation.

As of the 18th of May 2021, I was honoured to take over the role of
Chair of Painaustralia and I would like to extend my thanks to the
previous Chair, Emeritus Professor Ian Chubb for his outstanding
work for Painaustralia during his tenure.

As Chairman, it was particularly gratifying to see the launch
and endorsement of the National Strategic Action Plan for Pain
Management by the Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt, at the
Painaustralia Parliamentary Friends of Pain Management Group
event in May. This was indeed a major achievement and milestone
and was the result of years of dedicated work and extensive and
comprehensive consultation led by Painaustralia. However, our
work in this area is certainly not finished, and my focus moving
forward is to see the goals in the National Strategic Action Plan
funded and implemented throughout Australia. We need to continue
our work with the new Federal Government, the governments of the
states and territories and health stakeholders to ensure that more is
done for the 3.4 million Australians who live with chronic pain...

READ MORE

Launching of the Impact of opioid regulatory reforms on people living with chronic pain survey report

This week Painaustralia is publicly releasing its report, Impact of opioid regulatory reforms on people living with chronic pain. The report details the first-hand experiences of consumers since the changes were introduced by the Australian Government in June 2020.

The survey, which spanned an eight-week period from December 2020 until February 2022 attracted over 1,800 respondents.

The main themes that emerged within our report were:

• the lack of access to alternative services available for people with chronic pain, in the absence of medication;
•  difficulties in accessing medication; feelings of judgement and stigma;
• decreased quality of life; poorer mental health;
• increased visits to GPs and other health professionals resulting in increased and unwanted costs to consumers; and;
•  the need for education and awareness campaigns for consumers and health professionals

Our report findings emphasise the underlying urgent need for alternative support and treatments for consumers and details the significant mental health impacts on chronic pain facing consumers – many of whom are increasingly distraught and uneasy when seeking medication or other options for treatment of their conditions.

As a result of this, we recommend:

• increased support for people living with chronic pain, including the creation of a dedicated helpline to address mental health and provide referrals to alternative pathways and support groups;
• additional funding for new items under the Medicare Benefits Scheme to give greater access to allied health services and group pain management programs;
• continuous and additional education and awareness campaigns to help reduce stigma and provide clear pathways to alternate treatments for consumers and health professionals.

We would like to extend our gratitude to the consumers who took the time to put in a response to our survey. You can read our report here.

Australia is the first country to have a National Strategic Action Plan for Pain Management

Health Minister Greg Hunt launched Australia's National Strategic Action Plan for Pain Management (The Action Plan) at Painaustralia's Parliamentary Friends of Pain Management event on 18 May 2021.

In a world first, the Action Plan will provide real impetus and practical support for the 3.4 million Australians living with chronic pain said Painaustralia CEO Carol Bennett.

“The National Strategic Action Plan is a critical step towards improving the quality of life for the millions of Australians who live with chronic pain and every day face the challenges of accessing affordable and specialised pain treatment,” said Ms Bennett.
 

The Action Plan, which is now endorsed by all Australian governments, provides a pathway to improved pain awareness, support and treatment for people living with chronic pain.

Minister Hunt said the Action Plan was about providing people living with chronic pain a sense of hope and light and a way through.