Celebrating BPS member, Dr Gillian Chumbley OBE
22nd Jul 2025
Dr Gillian Chumbley awarded OBE for services to pain management
The British Pain Society is delighted to celebrate the news that Dr Gillian Chumbley PhD, RN has been awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her outstanding contributions to the science, education, and clinical practice of pain management over the past 30 years.
Dr Chumbley received her honour at Windsor Castle on Tuesday 22 July. Her OBE recognises a clinical-academic career dedicated to improving the safety, quality, and personalisation of care for people living with acute and persistent pain.
“Dr Gillian Chumbley’s award of an OBE is a fitting recognition of her exceptional contribution to the field of pain management. Her work has shaped national practice, empowered patients, and inspired clinicians across disciplines. We are proud to have her as a longstanding collaborator and leader in our community.”
- Roger Knaggs, BPS President
A leading nurse and pioneer in the field, Dr Chumbley was one of the inaugural Consultant Nurse post-holders in pain management. She has consistently driven innovation in opioid stewardship, perioperative pain care, and interdisciplinary education. Her PhD was among the earliest to explore patient understanding of intravenous opioid analgesia and its risks.
Her unwavering commitment to enhancing patient safety includes her involvement in national research projects on smart infusion devices, pain in people with substance misuse, and international initiatives like Managing Pain After Your Surgery. Notably, Dr Chumbley has always refused funding from pharmaceutical companies to maintain impartiality and uphold patient-centred values.
Dr Chumbley has played an active role in the British Pain Society, the Faculty of Pain Medicine, and the Royal College of Anaesthetists. She continues to support the next generation of clinicians through her role on the pan-London pain medicines education board and her teaching and supervision of postgraduate students.
We send our warmest congratulations to Dr Chumbley on this richly deserved honour and thank her for her sustained leadership, compassion, and dedication to pain care.
Read her full citation presented by Mrs Felicia Cox below.
Dr Gillian Chumbley, a Registered Nurse and leading expert in pain management, has dedicated over 30 years to improving how we understand, treat, and support people living with pain. Her work combines hands-on clinical care, academic research, and a deep commitment to patient safety.
Her primary research and clinical focus has been on raising awareness of the risks, benefits, and harms associated with prescribed opioid medicines. Her PhD, awarded in 2000, explored patients’ understanding of intravenous opioid patient-controlled analgesia at a time when the harms of opioids — including societal impact — were poorly recognised, and risk mitigation strategies were lacking. Enhancing patient safety has remained a central theme throughout her 30+ year clinical academic career.
Her post-doctoral work is varied and includes the education and supervision of Master’s students, as well as contributions to national research projects. These have included studies into smart intravenous infusion devices, patient safety, and the ethical challenges of providing analgesia for people with a history of substance misuse. In the latter, pain is often undertreated due to healthcare professionals’ fear of misuse. Gill has provided engaging and innovative interdisciplinary education in many settings, reminding clinicians to treat patients as individuals with unique experiences of pain — reinforcing the principle that pain is a biopsychosocial phenomenon.
As one of the inaugural Consultant Nurse post-holders, Gill has set the benchmark for those in similar roles today. She is recognised by her peers as an expert in supporting patients to self-manage complex pain, and she has worked closely with the Royal College of Anaesthetists, the Faculty of Pain Medicine, and the British Pain Society as a nursing expert on multiple initiatives that have improved practice and patient safety. Gill also serves as the nurse representative on the Pan-London Pain Medicines Trainee Education Board — a testament to the high regard in which she is held by pain physicians.
Given the strong association between high post-operative pain and the development of persistent post-surgical pain, Gill is regularly invited to share her expertise in perioperative pain management, particularly in the use of ketamine to reduce pain intensity, shorten hospital stays, and lower the risk of chronic pain.
To maintain impartiality in her contributions to pan-London and national safer medicines initiatives (e.g., NICE), Gill has consistently declined any paid or unpaid work with pharmaceutical or medical device companies.
A recent example of her drive for sustainable change is her contribution to the international patient information project Managing Pain After Your Surgery. Gill ensured the working group maintained a patient-centred focus, produced accessible and meaningful content, and selected imagery that emphasised activity and self-management rather than dependency.
Dr Chumbley continues to channel her passion and enthusiasm into improving patient outcomes through research, practice innovation, advocacy for those with lived experience, and educating nurses and other professionals in the importance of effective pain management.
Felicia Cox FRCN MSc RN
Nurse Consultant, Pain Management
Chair British Pain Society Acute Pain Special Interest Group (SIG)
Secretary International Association for the Study of Pain SIG