JILL Brown knows all too well what it is like to live with constant pain.

Jill, 68, of Huntington, York, suffers from osteoarthritis and osteoperosis.

The continual pain in her back is so bad she has to take strong tablets three to four times a day. She cannot manage tasks like gardening any more, and her chronic pain has badly affected her social life because it limits her ability to get out.

But Jill does get some relief from facet joint injections which she has been having regularly at York hospital for the past 15 years.

She has recently also had an epidural in her lower back which made a more significant improvement.

Jill said the injections did not get rid of her pain, but they did bring much-needed relief which enabled her to manage her condition better.

But both these types of injections are now on the PCT's list of suspended treatments - in the case of the facet joint variety, for an indefinite period.

Jill could still get her injections because she is an existing patient - but others in her position in the future will not, unless their case is considered exceptional.

Jill said her injections were a "lifeline".

"I would just be devastated if I didn't have these - where else would I go? Back pain is miserable - you will try anything to alleviate it," she said.

"Looking at it from other people's point of view, they are not going to have any relief.

"They (the Prior Approval panel) can't see your pain.

"How are they going to assess whether you need these things or not, when they don't know anything about you?"

A spokesman for North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT) said its prior approval panel only considered new requests for treatment on its suspended list. Patients who were receiving ongoing treatment would continue to get it.