Outpatient sessions are held at Greenlane Clinical Centre.
You must have an appointment to attend any of these sessions (see 'referral expectations' section below)
The Auckland Regional Pain Service (TARPS) provides quality pain management to the people of Auckland and beyond. TARPS provides outpatient services including clinical assessment and management of acute and chronic pain utilising a multidisciplinary approach.
The TARPS team is made up of Anaesthetists, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Occupational Therapist, Otolaryngologist, Psychiatrist, Physiotherapists, Psychologists, Rheumatologist, Postgraduate Trainees (Registrars) in Rheumatology, and Pain Fellows.
Some of the most common conditions treated by TARPS in adult patients:
- Musculoskeletal pain disorders e.g. chronic back pain, chronic neck with or without shoulder pain, fibromyalgia
- Neuropathic pain
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
- Phantom limb pain
- Headache
- Facial pain
- Post-herpetic neuralgia
- Atypical chest pain(s)
- Abdominal pain with or without Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Pelvic pain/endometriosis
At TARPS we prefer to work in collaboration with your general practitioner and expect that all referrals will be made in consultation with the general practitioner. We are a tertiary, regional service and so expect that you will have had a medical work-up at the primary care level and that appropriate specialist consultation has occurred.
The Triage Team has the responsibility of screening the referrals. A decision is then made about the most appropriate clinical discipline to see you. On some occasions only a physical assessment will occur and on others a psychosocial and physical assessment as well as a physical capacity evaluation (with a Physiotherapist).
Appointments are booked on receipt of a questionnaire which is routinely sent out to all prospective patients.
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Comprehensive pain assessment
The management of complex chronic pain often requires the skills of several pain specialists working together to provide a comprehensive assessment and treatment plan. At the time of initial assessment a referral may be made to other clinicians within the multidisciplinary team.
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Medication management
Identification of appropriate pharmacological agents for possible short or long-term maintenance...
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Outpatient Interventional Clinic
Provision of a range of interventional treatments with full theatre, X-ray and recovery room facilities. Procedures include nerve blocks, joint injections, medication infusions, externalised and implanted intrathecal pumps and Spinal Cord Stimulators.
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Outpatient Physiotherapy
A musculoskeletal assessment and/or physical capacity evaluation will be offered to those patients referred following their comprehensive pain assessment...
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Pain Management
There is the opportunity either individually or in groups to explore and refine a range of coping strategies, techniques shown to be useful for persons coping with persistent pain. The TARPS Team has extensive expertise in this area and regularly reviews its processes in the light of world trends and...
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Comprehensive 3-week Pain Management Programme
The Pain Management Programme is a structured 3-week course (Monday to Friday - 8.15am to 3.00pm) for patients with chronic non-malignant pain. It has been designed to help when standard medical or surgical treatment may have provided little, or minimal relief from pain...
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There are no charges for citizens or those with permanent residency when they are treated in the public hospital. All non-residents and visitors to will be billed for the full cost of the consultations and treatment.
The only exception to this is for the treatment of accidents where the cost of treatment can be paid for by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC).
