The Pain Management Unit (PMU) is a multidisciplinary unit where patients with long-term or persistent pain can be assessed, diagnosed and treated.  The aim of the unit is to aid and support patients in the long-term management of their pain.

Conditions seen

Barwon Health offers a Pain Management service for the following conditions:

  • persistent or chronic pain that requires complex medication management
  • neuropathic pain
  • pain in cancer survivors
  • post-surgical or post-traumatic pain
  • primary pain
  • secondary headache or orofacial pain
  • secondary musculoskeletal pain
  • visceral pain

and meeting the following referral criteria:

  • persistent or chronic pain (> 3 months duration) with symptoms that impact on daily activities including impact on work, study, school or carer role.
  • adequate trial of treatment in previous 12 months (exercise and analgesia).
  • at risk of functional or psychological deterioration, or medication dependence.
  • willing to explore living well with pain and willing to learn to self-manage ongoing pain.

Referrals are also accepted for acute pain conditions (such as complex neuropathic pain, or acute complex regional pain syndrome/CRPS) where early specialist management is critical.

Conditions not seen

Barwon Health Pain Management does not accept referrals for the following conditions:

  • Patients that are currently not willing to explore living well with pain and not willing to learn to self-manage ongoing pain.
  • Patients currently undertaking another chronic pain management program.
  • Patients that have already completed a multidisciplinary, comprehensive chronic pain management program or service for the same identifiable cause of pain where their clinical symptoms, or their readiness to undertake a chronic pain management program, remains unchanged.
  • Patients who only want an intervention such as an injection or dry needling.

How do I access this service

To be seen in the Pain Management specialist clinic you need to be referred by your GP, another specialist doctor or your Barwon Health doctor.

We are unable to see you in our clinics without a referral.

Wait time

All requests for specialist clinic appointments are scheduled according to the patient’s clinical need. Clinicians assess whether an appointment is urgent or routine, based on information provided in the referral.

Barwon Health aims to see all ‘urgent’ referrals within 30 days. Our wait times for patients who are categorised as ‘routine’ are more variable, depending on the demand for our services.

The Victorian Agency for Health Information also publishes information about the waiting time for routine first appointments.

Routine first appointments | Victorian Agency for Health Information

Speciality
Projected wait time

No Wait times to show

For Health Professionals

State-referral criteria may apply for conditions under this specialty requiring further assessment and management. Referring clinicians are encouraged to utilise Western Victoria Community HealthPathways for referral guidelines and requirements for all conditions.

For urgent referral advice, please contact the specialty on-call registrar via Barwon Health switchboard on 03 4215 0000.

Complete the specialist clinics referral template and send via:

  • ReferralNet
  • Fax: 03 4215 1383

Referral templates for Barwon Health services are available for importing into Best Practice, Medical Director or ZedMed. Please see the Referral templates page for the most up-to-date forms.

If you do not use the above clinical software, please complete a referral letter on your practice/health service letterhead, ensuring all required referral information is included.

If you need to contact us regarding the templates, please contact the GP Liaison Unit on 03 4215 8845 or [email protected].

For patients who require reassessment, a new referral should be sent through. To facilitate earlier access, the new referral must contain the following information:

  • State the referral is an update for a current patient
  • Date of original referral
  • Reason for requesting a review of referral (e.g. deterioration in clinical condition, pathology)

The referrer will be notified of the outcome of the re-triage process.

GPs or referring doctors wishing to discuss the triage of their patient’s referral, or who require additional information, please ring the GP hotline on 03 4215 1398.

Page last updated: September 10, 2025