FPM Board meeting update

This is a report following the FPM Board meeting held via Zoom on Sunday 23 February 2025.

The faculty extends its congratulations to Professor Paul Glare, who was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2025 Australia Day honours list for ‘significant service to medicine in the field of pain management and palliative care’. This is a prestigious and well-deserved honour.

The faculty was recently informed of the passing of Dr Kwai Tung ‘Keith’ Chan (ACT), FFPMANZCA 2014, RACP. An obituary will be featured in an upcoming issue of the ANZCA Bulletin.

Governance

FPM Board call for nomination and election

The Faculty of Pain Medicine received six nominations, for three elected vacancies on the 2025 FPM Board, and proceeded to an election between 18 January and 3 February. The faculty received 263 votes from 602 voters, a high 44 per cent response rate.

The faculty is pleased to announce that the following three candidates were successfully elected to the FPM Board:

Professor Michael Veltman.
Dr Noam Winter.
Dr Leinani Aiono-Le Tagaloa.

Thank you to all the candidates who nominated for the 2025 FPM Board and fellows who voted. The result of the ballot will be formally ratified at the FPM Annual Business Meeting to be held in Cairns, on Sunday 4 May 2025.

Further information about the election can be found on the website.

FPM new fellow board representative call for nomination

The call for nominations for the role of FPM new fellow board representative, concluded on 12 March 2025. As more than one nomination was received, the faculty has proceeded to an election between 19-31 March 2025.

As per by-law 1.4, FPM new fellows who are within three years of admission to fellowship, via completion of the FPM training program on the date on which nominations close, are eligible to vote.

The elected new fellow board representative is appointed for a two-year term, to start from the FPM Annual Business Meeting held at the ANZCA Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) on Sunday 4 May 2025.

Strategy

FATES project: developing flexible accreditation pathways for pain medicine training in rural settings

The FPM board has approved the flexible accreditation and training model options for pilot in Australian pain units from 2025. The faculty is now seeking expressions of interest from Australian rural pain units interested in piloting the flexible accreditation pathway to become a pain medicine training site.

Development of Australian health practitioner pain management education standards

Following extensive stakeholder consultations in mid-2024, the project team completed the coding and thematic analysis of the data. In recent months, the project team has been reviewing relevant guidelines, policies, and legislation to ensure the proposed standards align with current practices and best practices in health practitioner pain management education. The next stage involves drafting the standards and circulate for further input and feedback.

Advocacy

2025/2026 Australian federal budget submission

The faculty submitted a 2025-2026 pre-budget submission, which focuses on advancing Australia’s National Strategy for Health Practitioner Pain Management Education. This strategy provides a comprehensive framework for the future of pain education over the next decade.

The submission is seeking $A2.55 million to progress and implement goals 2, 3 and 5 within the national strategy, driving sustainable improvements in pain care across Australia. As previously outlined in this report, goal 1 of the strategy is currently underway and is expected to conclude in October.

Letters of support have been secured from Chronic Pain Australia, Painaustralia and the Australian Pain Solutions Research Alliance (APSRA).

Professional affairs

A review of PS10(PM) Statement on "Medicinal Cannabis" with particular reference to its use in the management of patients with chronic non-cancer pain will be undertaken in 2025.

Although a document development group has been formed, any fellows who are interested in contributing, can contact FPM at [email protected].

PS15(PM) Statement on the Clinical Approach to Persistent Pelvic Pain Including Endometriosis-associated pain has been endorsed by the FPM Board without further revision. A plain language community information sheet will be updated, which can be distributed alongside the statement.

The pilot period for the Opioid-Induced Ventilatory Impairment (OIVI) CPD emergency response standard and workshop program, has concluded. OIVI emergency response workshops are scheduled at the ASM in Cairns and the FPM Spring Meeting in Fremantle in 2025 (two sessions at each meeting).

Reconciliation Action Plan

The college is on track to meet many of the requirements of the current RAP, with 79 per cent of deliverables having been achieved. The next issue of the ANZCA Bulletin will feature a reflection on this body of work, with a proposal for the 2025–2027 RAP underway.

Sponsorship for FPM events

The FPM Board has decided to not accept sponsorship from medicinal cannabis/cannabinoid suppliers for educational meetings. This will also apply to all other FPM events, including regional continuing medical education meetings.

Education and training

SIMG expedited pathway and ANZCA regulation 23

With the introduction of an expedited pathway to specialist registration for anaesthesia in Australia and New Zealand an amendment to ANZCA regulation 23 was required. The FPM Board noted that the expedited pathway does not apply to FPM, only to ANZCA.

FPM new fellows admitted to fellowship (as of 10 February 2025)

Dr Kushlin Higgie, FANZCA, FFPMANZCA (NZ).
Dr Jonitha Nadarajah, FAFRM(RACP), FFPMANZCA (WA).
Dr Chong Han Lim, FRACGP, FFPMANZCA (SA).
Dr Kin Lau, FRACGP, FFPMANZCA (SA).
Dr Ning Cheung, FANZCA, FFPMANZCA (VIC).
Dr Nazmeen Shameem, FAFRM(RACP), FFPMANZCA (NSW).
Dr Eugene Henry, FACEM, FFPMANZCA (WA).
Dr Rao Fu, FANZCA, FFPMANZCA (VIC).
Dr Chi Wai Chan, FHKCA, FFPMANZCA (Hong Kong).
Dr Estelle Petch, FRACP, FFPMANZCA (VIC).
Dr Mandeep Balbir Singh, FRACGP, FFPMANZCA (SA).