ESCAPE-pain is a rehabilitation programme for people with chronic joint pain. It integrates educational self management and coping strategies with a personalised exercise plan. By helping individuals to understand their condition and take simple steps to manage their pain, evaluation of ESCAPE-pain has demonstrated:
ESCAPE-pain is typically delivered in group sessions over a six week period in hospital settings, it was first implemented by the Health Innovation Network (HIN) in South London and is currently active in 36 sites across 6 AHSN localities. In 2017, ESCAPE-pain was selected to join the NHS Innovation Accelerator to encourage the spread of the programme. It has also been awarded £392,000 funding from Sport England to help reduce inactivity in older adults.
Dorset Pilot
The first Wessex pilot is underway in East Dorset and Bournemouth, where the model has been adapted to be run in leisure centres, delivered by fitness instructors. Active Dorset have engaged six leisure centres to support the pilot and the HIN have trained the instructors. To date, the first pilot session has run, with two more planned in the coming months. A multiagency steering group has been established to shape and drive the programme forward by developing referral mechanisms and integrating ESCAPE-pain into the MSK (musculoskeletal) pathway.
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