A new website to support people living with chronic pain in north and West Cumbria has gone live.

It aims to help people manage persistent pain caused by conditions such as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and medically-unexplained symptoms.

The support website has been developed by the Persistent Physical Symptoms Service (PPSS) at Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust for patients and health care professionals to get hold of advice and support quickly and easily.

Elspeth Desert, clinical director for PPSS, said: “Having this fantastic resource available for our patients and colleagues here in Cumbria will ensure we have the best tools available to improve the quality of life of the hundreds of people in the county currently living with persistent pain, fatigue and other conditions.”

Dr David Rogers, medical director at NHS North Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group, added: “There has been a lot of work across the system to ensure we provide the right kind of service, offering a range of support for people who experience persistent, and often medically unexplained, pain and other symptoms.

“The service provides comprehensive evidence-based support, using a range of professionals, from physiotherapists to psychologists.”

The website – https://ppss.cumbria.nhs.uk / – includes advice, new research and patient stories.

Those running the service say there is a vast amount of current research available to clinicians and patients, looking at what is now known about the causes of pain and what can aide recovery.

This can help to provide patients with the resources and tools they need to self-manage persistent symptoms and achieve a better quality of life.

Patient stories featured on the website explain how individuals have successfully managed their symptoms, often having lived with them for a number of years.