Dr Alexander Hollis is a Consultant in Pain Medicine and Anaesthesia at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He also sees private patients at The Hampshire Clinic in Basingstoke as part of The Pain Team.

He specialises in assessing and treating musculoskeletal and spinal pain, including back pain, sciatica, neck and arm pain, and knee, hip and shoulder pain. His expertise also includes nerve pain, headaches, chronic migraine and persistent pain following surgery.

Dr Hollis believes that early assessment by a pain specialist, particularly when pain is not improving as expected, can help patients better understand their condition and take steps towards recovery.

His approach focuses on understanding how pain affects each patient's daily life and what they would like to achieve through treatment. This might include sleeping better, returning to work, enjoying exercise or simply being able to walk the dog again.

Treatment plans are tailored to individual needs and may include:

• Advice and education to help patients understand their pain.

• Medication reviews.

• Physiotherapy and rehabilitation.

• Psychological approaches to pain management.

• Targeted injections and other specialist procedures.

Where appropriate, he also works closely with orthopaedic and spinal surgeons to explore surgical options.

Dr Hollis has a particular interest in ultrasound-guided procedures, which allow many joint injections and nerve blocks to be performed accurately without exposure to X-rays.

His procedural expertise includes:

• Ultrasound-guided joint injections and nerve blocks.

• Image-guided spinal injections, including facet joint injections, nerve root injections and epidurals.

• Genicular nerve blocks for knee pain.

• Suprascapular nerve blocks for shoulder pain.

• Injection treatments for chronic migraine.

He has also completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Neuromodulation, with merit, at Queen Mary University of London. This supports his work assessing complex nerve pain and considering whether treatments such as spinal cord stimulation may be appropriate.

Dr Hollis qualified in medicine from the University of Birmingham in 2017, where he also completed an intercalated BMedSc (Hons) in Clinical Sciences.

Following foundation training in Birmingham and core anaesthetic training in Dudley, he completed higher specialist training in anaesthesia and pain medicine in Wessex. His training included posts at University Hospital Southampton, Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth and Hampshire Hospitals.

He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Faculty of Pain Medicine, and is listed on the GMC Specialist Register for Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine.

Alongside his clinical work, Dr Hollis is actively involved in research, service development and improving the experience of patients living with pain.

Within the NHS, he piloted a non-operative pathway for patients with knee pain and introduced virtual reality to help patients manage anxiety and discomfort during pain procedures.

Both projects were presented internationally at the International Society of Pain and Neuroscience in 2025, where he received the Young Innovator Trailblazer Award 2025.

His research focuses on surgery and recovery in people living with chronic pain. His work exploring the association between pre-existing chronic pain and longer hospital stays following surgery was presented at the Association of Anaesthetists Winter Scientific Meeting.

He has also been a site lead and collaborator on national studies investigating pain and opioid prescribing after surgery. His research has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including Anaesthesia, BJS Open and BMC Medical Education.

Dr Hollis is passionate about medical education and developing the next generation of pain specialists.

He previously served as the national Trainee Representative for the Faculty of Pain Medicine, contributing to its Board and Training and Assessment Committee. He was also nominated twice for Wessex Higher Anaesthetic Trainee of the Year.

His educational work includes teaching on the South Coast Primary FRCA course, training as an educational and clinical supervisor, and establishing a near-peer mentoring scheme for pain medicine trainees in Wessex.

He has also developed patient education resources, including videos and content for pain management programmes. In addition, he holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Healthcare Leadership and Management.

Outside work, Dr Hollis lives in Hampshire with his wife and two daughters. He enjoys keeping fit and has a particular enthusiasm for good food.

He believes movement is an important part of managing pain and that the right treatment should help patients return to the activities they enjoy.

Clinical Interests

• Musculoskeletal and spinal pain, including back pain and sciatica.

• Neck, arm, knee, hip and shoulder pain.

• Ultrasound-guided joint injections and nerve blocks.

• Image-guided spinal injections, including epidurals.

• Nerve pain and assessment for neuromodulation.

• Chronic migraine.

• Persistent pain following surgery.

• Pain management and planning around surgery.

• Early pain assessment and rehabilitation.

• Royal College of Anaesthetists
  
• Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Royal College of Anaesthetists
  
• British Pain Society
  
• Association of Anaesthetists