Consultant Pain Medicine

Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of patients with acute, chronic, and complex pain conditions.

• Conduct detailed pain assessments, including evaluation of pain history, severity, distribution, functional limitations, underlying causes, and psychosocial factors.

• Diagnose and manage chronic spinal pain, including cervical, thoracic, and lumbar pain syndromes.

• Evaluate and treat patients with radicular pain, sciatica, facet joint-related pain, sacroiliac joint pain, and other spinal pain conditions.

• Diagnose and manage neuropathic pain disorders, including peripheral neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, and other nerve-related pain syndromes.

• Assess and manage complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and other challenging chronic pain conditions.

• Provide specialised management of musculoskeletal pain, including joint pain, myofascial pain, and selected soft tissue pain disorders.

• Evaluate and manage persistent postoperative pain and chronic pain following surgical procedures.

• Assess and manage cancer-related pain in collaboration with oncology and palliative care teams.

• Develop and implement individualised multimodal pain management plans incorporating pharmacological, interventional, physical, and psychological treatment approaches.

• Perform image-guided interventional pain procedures, including spinal and peripheral nerve injections, within approved clinical privileges.

• Perform epidural steroid injections for selected patients with spinal and radicular pain when clinically indicated.

• Perform facet joint injections, medial branch blocks, and other diagnostic or therapeutic spinal interventions where appropriately trained and credentialed.

• Perform radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for selected chronic pain conditions following appropriate diagnostic evaluation.

• Perform sacroiliac joint injections and other image-guided musculoskeletal pain procedures when clinically indicated.

• Perform peripheral nerve blocks and other targeted interventional treatments for selected neuropathic and musculoskeletal pain conditions.

• Assess patients for advanced pain management interventions, including spinal cord stimulation and other neuromodulation therapies.

• Perform or coordinate spinal cord stimulation (SCS) trials and implantation procedures where appropriately trained, credentialed, and supported by the healthcare facility.

• Evaluate patients requiring intrathecal drug delivery systems and coordinate appropriate specialist management.

• Utilise fluoroscopy, ultrasound, and other appropriate imaging technologies to improve procedural accuracy and safety.

• Assess and manage selected headache disorders and craniofacial pain syndromes within the physician's clinical expertise.

• Provide pharmacological pain management, including appropriate use of non-opioid analgesics, neuropathic pain medications, and other evidence-based treatments.

• Evaluate the risks and benefits of opioid therapy and implement appropriate prescribing, monitoring, and risk mitigation strategies.

• Monitor treatment response, medication-related adverse effects, functional improvement, and long-term pain management outcomes.

• Assess patients with persistent pain despite previous medical, surgical, or interventional treatments and develop appropriate alternative treatment strategies.

• Interpret relevant diagnostic investigations, including MRI, CT, X-rays, ultrasound, and other studies used to evaluate pain-related conditions.

• Collaborate with physiotherapists, psychologists, rehabilitation physicians, and other specialists to implement multidisciplinary pain rehabilitation programmes.

• Incorporate functional restoration, physical rehabilitation, and psychological pain management strategies into comprehensive treatment plans.

• Provide specialist pain management consultations for hospitalised patients with complex acute or chronic pain conditions.

• Support perioperative pain management and postoperative analgesia planning in collaboration with anaesthesia and surgical teams.

• Recognise and manage complications associated with interventional pain procedures, including bleeding, infection, neurological injury, and medication-related adverse events.

• Conduct comprehensive pre-procedural assessments, evaluate contraindications, and obtain appropriate informed consent.

• Apply appropriate infection prevention, radiation safety, and procedural monitoring standards during interventional pain treatments.

• Coordinate referrals to neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery, neurology, rheumatology, oncology, or other specialties when clinically indicated.

• Participate in multidisciplinary pain management meetings and complex case discussions.

• Provide comprehensive counselling and education regarding pain mechanisms, treatment options, realistic expectations, medication safety, and long-term self-management.

• Promote evidence-based approaches that improve pain-related function, quality of life, and psychological well-being.

• Maintain accurate clinical documentation and procedural reports in accordance with hospital policies and patient safety standards.

• Participate in clinical audits, procedural outcome monitoring, pain management research, and quality improvement initiatives.

• Contribute to the development of pain management protocols, interventional pain services, and multidisciplinary chronic pain programmes.

• Provide clinical supervision, teaching, and mentoring to junior physicians and multidisciplinary healthcare professionals.

• Stay updated with advances in pain medicine, interventional techniques, neuromodulation, pharmacological therapies, and evidence-based chronic pain management.

Qualifications

• Recognised specialist qualification in Pain Medicine or an appropriate primary specialty, such as Anaesthesiology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Neurology, or another recognised pathway to Pain Medicine.

• Recognised Tier 1 specialist qualification, such as ABMS certification, Canadian Royal College certification, UK CCT/CCST, or an equivalent recognised qualification.

• Advanced fellowship training or recognised subspecialty certification in Pain Medicine, Interventional Pain Management, or an equivalent recognised discipline.

• Minimum 5 years of post-specialisation experience, with substantial clinical experience in managing acute, chronic, and complex pain conditions.

• Proven experience in diagnosing and managing chronic spinal pain, neuropathic pain, musculoskeletal pain, and other complex pain disorders.

• Demonstrated expertise in interventional pain management, including spinal injections, nerve blocks, and image-guided procedures.

• Strong experience performing fluoroscopy-guided or ultrasound-guided pain interventions.

• Experience in radiofrequency ablation and other advanced interventional pain techniques is highly desirable.

• Experience in neuromodulation therapies, including spinal cord stimulation, is advantageous.

• Comprehensive knowledge of multimodal analgesia, pharmacological pain management, and multidisciplinary rehabilitation strategies.

• Strong understanding of opioid prescribing principles, medication safety, and risk mitigation in chronic pain management.

• Proficiency in interpreting musculoskeletal and spinal imaging relevant to pain diagnosis and treatment.

• Experience managing persistent postoperative pain, cancer-related pain, and complex neuropathic pain conditions.

• Strong understanding of procedural safety, patient selection, informed consent, and management of intervention-related complications.

• Experience working in a tertiary hospital, specialised pain management centre, interventional pain clinic, or multidisciplinary healthcare facility.

• Familiarity with international pain medicine guidelines, evidence-based treatment protocols, and patient safety standards.

• Excellent multidisciplinary collaboration and complex clinical decision-making abilities.

• Eligibility for Consultant-level licensing with DHA, DOH, or MOHAP, as applicable, together with appropriate institutional privileges for interventional pain procedures.

Required Skills

• Strong clinical expertise in pain medicine and the management of acute, chronic, and complex pain disorders.

• Advanced knowledge of spinal pain, neuropathic pain, musculoskeletal pain, cancer-related pain, and complex regional pain syndrome.

• Demonstrated competence in interventional pain procedures, including image-guided injections, nerve blocks, and appropriate spinal interventions.

• Proficiency in fluoroscopy-guided and ultrasound-guided procedural techniques.

• Comprehensive understanding of radiofrequency ablation, neuromodulation, and other advanced pain management therapies.

• Strong knowledge of multimodal analgesia, pain pharmacotherapy, and safe prescribing practices.

• Expertise in comprehensive pain assessment, patient selection, procedural planning, and treatment outcome evaluation.

• Strong diagnostic, analytical, and clinical decision-making skills.

• Ability to recognise and manage complications associated with interventional pain procedures.

• Comprehensive understanding of multidisciplinary pain rehabilitation, functional restoration, and psychological approaches to chronic pain management.

• Excellent communication, leadership, and multidisciplinary collaboration skills.

• Ability to provide compassionate patient counselling and establish realistic, function-focused treatment goals.

• Commitment to patient safety, evidence-based pain medicine, and continuous professional development.

• Ability to support clinical education, pain management service development, research, and quality improvement initiatives.

Compensation

An attractive tax-free package will be offered based on the candidate’s qualifications, clinical expertise, pain management experience, interventional procedural competencies, professional background, and the requirements of the healthcare facility.