Patients who experience pain require adequate pain management provided by healthcare professionals who have access to pain relief medicines and are trained in the assessment and treatment of pain. Patients also need their pain to be acknowledged, understood and believed. These patient needs in relation to pain management can be considered from a legal and human rights perspective. This article describes human rights legislation in the UK, how it affects healthcare practice and what it means for healthcare professionals. It discusses barriers to pain management, the concept of pain management as a human right, the obligation of healthcare organisations to provide pain management and the limits to patients’ rights to pain management. Finally, it proposes strategies that nurses can use to uphold a patient’s human rights in relation to pain management.