Why new NHS guidelines could end up torturing those of us who experience chronic pain

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Earlier this week, NHS England launched what it called a “new framework for local health and care providers” which “aims to further reduce inappropriate prescribing of high-strength painkillers and other addiction-causing medicines, like opioids and benzodiazepines”. The announcement hailed an 8 per cent reduction in the number of opioid painkillers prescribed “which is estimated to have saved nearly 350 lives and prevented more than 2,100 incidents of patient harm”. Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England, said this: “We know that patients who require prescriptions for potentially addictive drugs can become dependent and struggle with withdrawal, and this new action plan helps NHS services to continue positive work in this space having already slashed opioid prescriptions by almost half a million over the last four years. “The plan gives clear guidance to support patients who no longer need these drugs to provide them with routine medicine reviews and move them on to other, alternative therapies where appropriate, saving both lives and taxpayer money in the process.” OK, great.