"Pain management service"

I have been under the pain management team for a few years.  As has my partner, we have both been dissappionted with the many times there has been discrepancies between what is said during our phone appts and what is actually stated on the letter recieved week even months later. Treatment plans discussed then are completely different on the paper work.

I am a clinician and I always repeat back to the caller the plan we have discussed to be sure I have understood correctly. Yet when the letter arrives, the plan listed is completely different to what was "promised" one example I was seeing a private clinic for a series of procedures every 12months.

Fiona Stanley Pain Clinic discussed with me that it would be best for me to have this procedure done thru the hospital as not only could the treatment be done in one visit all at once but that they would also extend the treatment to include areas above and below the affect vertebrae.

I waited 2yrs, had to increase my pain medications to cope. Also had to reduce my working hours as the pain was increasingly difficult to manage. Each phone interview I was assured that the wait will be worth it as I would have 1 treatment and all areas would be covered. Letters recieved by myself and my GP did not confirm this advice. The next appt I would ask again for confirmation of what the treatment would involve and wether it matched the treatments I had been receiving at the private clinic. Each time I was assured it would be all areas in the one treatment.

I eventually traveled 400kms took two weeks off work for recovery, only to recieve treatment of one side, when I queried this at the pre surgery assessment I recall I was told that's not true, I would not have been told that, they never treat more than one area at a time. I was also told, don't worry my next treatment for the other areas will be in about 2 weeks. No such appt has arrived.

Recently I had a follow-up nurse phone consult 5 weeks later to, I recall, be told that they never discussed any other areas, I have not told them about other areas, there is no appt for further treatments and that I have a follow up appt with the specialist in Sept. That will take me to the 3yr mark I am absolutely disappointed and disgusted in the apparently blatant lies to my face, over the phone and on the documentation.

I will be returning to my original clinic even if they can only treat the most painfull site each time at least they are honest about it and I don't have to wait 3yrs each time.  I am trying to remain in the workforce and these treatments allow me that opportunity, I feel so let down by the system that I give my all to.