A key figure in UK case management has won a prestigious award in recognition of her work in opening up access to chronic pain management support through innovative use of digital technology.
Deborah Edwards has overseen the creation of the RESTORE programme, an eight-week online support and coaching initiative which is helping people across the country to improve how they manage and deal with pain.
The “revolutionary” programme, which delivers evidence-based improvements in sleep and movement for chronic pain sufferers, has enabled people to bypass long NHS waiting times to access a tailored programme and bespoke advice from specialists.
Deborah, chief executive of RTW Plus, also enabled the creation of the first-ever International Virtual Pain Summit earlier this year. The online event, which attracted thousands of attendees and an array of international speakers, is set to become a regular occurrence, with a second two-day summit planned for February.
In recognition of her sector-leading efforts in the use of technology, Deborah has been awarded the Digital Champion of the Year title at the Women in Insurance Awards 2020.
Judges praised her “innovative use of technology which goes beyond the usual focus on business efficiency and has improved the quality of life for many injured people”.
“We have seen for a long time that while our clients may have recovered from their injury, they were still left in chronic pain and they were having to deal with the ongoing effects of that. Chronic pain isn’t in the media every day, it doesn’t have the high profile that other conditions do, but it’s a huge problem and a cost to society and the NHS too,” says Deborah.
“That’s where RESTORE came from. We started studying and learning about pain, it was a real eye-opener. Everything in there is based on neuroscience and studies of cognitive behaviour, and it is revolutionary in the world of chronic pain management.
“By making it an online resource, it’s accessible from wherever you are, you don’t have to find the energy to get ready, travel, have your appointment, travel home and then be exhausted and in pain – it’s accessible by your device, or even your Fitbit or Apple Watch. You can also speak to real experts and health coaches on your screen, not bots or automated messages, whenever you need to.”
While many initiatives have been taken online as a result of COVID-19, Deborah was already fully committed to using digital well before the pandemic hit.
“It was always intended to be online, we haven’t reacted, we have been investing in digital seriously for the last two years,” she says.
“The same is true of our Virtual Pain Summit. This is an online event and was planned long before the pandemic. We realise the power of online and use it to the advantage of everyone concerned.
“By creating an event which brings together over 5,000 professionals with some of the leading figures in pain management in the world, making it online makes greatest sense. People can join in and benefit from wherever they are, and that’s what we want to achieve – we want to enable those in chronic pain to take back control of that pain and to help them to help themselves.”
The second International Chronic Pain Virtual Summit is being held on February 4 and 5, 2021. For more information or to sign up, visit www.virtualpainsummit.com
