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ARMA Newsletter March 2021

Green shoots

CEO update: Promoting MSK health
by Sue Brown, CEO ARMA
As I write this, the sun outside my window is shining and swathes of blue and yellow crocuses bloom in the local parks. As if that were not enough to lift the spirits, last night saw the launch of NHS England’s Best MSK Health programme. ARMA has worked for many years to raise the profile of MSK health. We have made some progress, often in very specific areas, such as the introduction of First Contact MSK Practitioners a few years ago. Now we have a step change in the profile and priority given to MSK in England.
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Living with a stranger - ‘The Uninvited Guest’ in the time of COVID

Living with a stranger - ‘The Uninvited Guest’ in the time of COVID

Guest blog by Emily Earle

Emily’s 12 year old daughter was diagnosed with JIA in 2010 at the age of 2. Emily now volunteers for the charity ‘CCAA – Kids with Arthritis’ running their local area network of support groups. CCAA offers support to children with JIA and their families across England and Wales.
Life with a child who has a medical condition can be challenging at any time. Families usually manage because we have to. Quite simply, we do not get the choice to say: ‘No thanks! We’d rather our child wasn’t diagnosed with this condition!’ So we manage. I myself remember this time so vividly – the steep learning curve and sense of disbelief that my two-year-old daughter could possibly have arthritis, something that I previously associated only with old people.
I often use a story, ‘The Uninvited Guest’, to help illustrate what this situation can feel like for families. …
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#BestMSKHealth programme launch

NHS England has launched a new programme with the aim of sustaining the delivery of evidence-informed, personalised, high-quality integrated healthcare of value to all. This new initiative, part of the Pathways for Better Health Programme, significantly increases the resource to support MSK service delivery.
The programme covers the breadth of MSK including orthopaedics, rheumatology and pain, spanning primary secondary and community services. You can watch the launch event here.

The programme has ten workstreams, each led by a relevant clinical specialist:
  • Diagnostics
  • Orthopaedics
  • Rheumatology
  • Primary and Community MSK Provision
  • Spinal Services
  • Falls, Fragility Fractures and Osteoporosis
  • Data, Validation and Coding
  • Communications and Developing MSK Networks
  • Supporting those with Long Term MSK Conditions
  • Outpatients
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There is the intention to ensure that the programme is coproduced involving the range of stakeholders including people with lived experience and patient organisations. The aim is to support local system leads to deliver MSK services in line with the programme, rather than to mandate a specific service model.
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The primary and community workstream, led by Chris Mercer, will be vital to the success of the programme overall. The other workstreams all depend on effective support in primary and community services. Having all the pieces of work in one programme will enable co-ordination. At the launch event Chris talked about the potential for the new White Paper to start breaking down some of the boundaries in the NHS and the need for MSK leadership across all levels of the system.
Summing up, Andrew Bennett, National Clinical Director for MSK, encouraged everyone to engage with the programme as it develops. The work has only just begun. This will not be a top-down initiative. It will be based on collaboration and coproduction.
Look out for updates in future ARMA newsletters and on twitter using #BestMSKHealth.
White Paper on NHS Reform

White Paper on NHS Reform

The Government published a white paper, “Integration and innovation: Working together to improve health and social care for all” on 11 February 2021. This sets out proposals for changes in legislation with the aim of enabling integration within the NHS in England and between the NHS, local government and other health system partners. The proposals are grouped under four themes: working together and supporting integration; stripping out needless bureaucracy; enhancing public confidence and accountability; and additional proposals to support social care, public health, and quality and safety.
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Key MSK COVID-19 resources

ARMA continues to keep its COVID-19 resources page up to date.
See key resources at the ARMA COVID-19 resources page.

Members' news

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NOA webinar series events

The National Orthopaedic Alliance is running a series of webinars.
Supporting staff wellbeing during COVID-19 and beyond
4 March 2021 - 12:30pm
The first in NOA’s wellbeing webinar series is a member-only event looking at some of the challenges of and improvements to staff wellbeing during the pandemic at NOA member trusts. The session will be chaired by NOA Lead CEO, Jo Williams (Chief Executive, Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS FT).
Read about more NOA events
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Upcoming NRAS JIA events

Join NRAS for their first JIA Zoom event: Coping with JIA during COVID-19. This event is exclusively for parents who have children with JIA.
Wednesday 10th March, 6:30pm-8pm on Zoom.
There will be an update from Debbie Wilson, NRAS Young Persons Project Co-ordinator, an update from Nick Wilkinson, Paediatric Rheumatologist, and a short talk from one of our Young Voices.
In April, loin NRAS for a Zoom event for young people living with JIA: Navigating your Future with inflammatory arthritis
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My AS My Life live sessions

My AS My Life live sessions

NASS continues with its schedule of weekly ‘My AS My Life‘ live sessions.
In March the following events will be:
  • Wednesday 3, 1300 ‘Your skin’ with Dom Urmston, Psoriasis UK;
  • Wednesday 10, 18.30 Yoga with Jamie Boder, Yoga for AS;
  • Wednesday 17, 1300 ‘Your gut’ with Jaina Engineer, Crohn’s and Colitis UK;
  • Wednesday 24, 1800 ‘Weight lifting’ with Andrew MacMillan, osteopath and researcher.
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New video: How to self-examine for tender and swollen joints in RA

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the delivery of healthcare services, creating challenges for healthcare professionals and people living with musculoskeletal conditions. Patients are increasingly required to monitor their own disease activity and report on their condition during remote or virtual consultations. To address this, the Centre for Epidemiology Versus Arthritis has been working on the REmote MOnitoring of Rheumatoid Arthritis (REMORA) study. REMORA is a smartphone app study that encourages people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to monitor and record their daily symptoms.…
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BOA Annual Congress 2021 - abstracts now open

Under the theme of 'Tackling Infection', the 2021 BOA Congress will take place 21–24 September 2021 at P&J Live, The Event Complex Aberdeen (TECA). In a slight change from previous years, BOA abstract submissions – including those from medical students – will open and close on the same dates; the BOA is pleased to announce that abstract submissions are now open and will close on Friday 7 May 2021.
Please note: you do not have to be a BOA member to submit an abstract.
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Rheumatology nursing webinar 2021

Re-focusing on rheumatology nurse development
16 Mar 2021,
18:30 – 20:30 online
The RCN Rheumatology forum is proud to present the programme for the March 2021 webinar. Julie Begum, RCN Rheumatology Forum chair will be joined by Professor Sarah Ryan, Kay Hughes and Rachel Cowey. The speakers will be considering three topical issues as they explore biologics, blood test results and the importance of professional development.…
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Free sport and exercise medicine seminars

Free sport and exercise medicine seminars

Bookings are now open for an upcoming series of free sport and exercise medicine seminars delivered by the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine and the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine that will explore current issues relevant to all SEM practitioners. Running every Thursday evening in April, the sessions will feature presentations from leading clinicians and academics as well as those with lived experience…
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2021 Backcare Awareness Week

2021 Backcare Awareness Week

The 2021 Backcare Awareness Week will run from 4-8 October.
The theme for this year’s campaign is Back Pain working from home.
BackCare is due to release display packs and more information soon.
Check this page on the BackCare website for updates.

Spotlight on...

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Health of people from ethnic minority groups

The Kings Fund has produced an explainer on the health of people from ethnic minority groups in England. Whilst this doesn’t include MSK health, it does include several relevant determinants of health including physical activity levels, obesity, healthy diet, socioeconomic inequalities and access to services.…
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PHE Coronavirus vaccine assets translated

PHE Coronavirus vaccine assets translated

A range of translated social assets have been created by Public Health England to promote vaccine confidence among a wider audience. In addition, there are a selection of vaccine explainer videos to promote vaccine information and uptake.
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PHE COVID-19 Response Spring 2021 resources

PHE COVID-19 Response Spring 2021 resources

Public Health England has released new media resources to promote their coronavirus campaign, ‘COVID-19 Response: Spring 2021.’ These include the 'Road map' steps, and an animation explaining the government's latest social contact rules.
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ARMA Calendar

3 March 2021 ONS proposed Health Index consultation closes
3 March 2021, 13:00 My AS My Life live, ‘Your skin’ with Dom Urmston, Psoriasis UK
4 March 2021, 12:30 Webinar: Supporting staff wellbeing during COVID-19 and beyond (NOA members only)
10 March 2021, 13:00 NOA webinar: Elective Orthopaedic Recovery – an update
10 March 2021, 18:30 NRAS JIA Zoom event: Coping with JIA during COVID-19
10 March 2021, 18:30 My AS My Life live, Yoga with Jamie Boder, Yoga for AS
11 March 2021, 6-8pm Versus Arthritis webinar on NICE chronic pain guidelines
11 & 12 March 2021 SOMM FCP Supervisors course
16 March 2021, 18:30 RCN Rheumatology nursing webinar: Re-focusing on rheumatology nurse development
17 March 2021, 13:00 My AS My Life live, ‘Your gut’ with Jaina Engineer, Crohn’s and Colitis UK
23 March 2021, 11:00 NOA webinar: Networking to Improve PROMS practice & collaboration
24 March 2021, 18:00 My AS My Life live,‘Weight lifting’ with Andrew MacMillan, osteopath and researcher
7 April 2021, 13:00 NOA Webinar: Practical pain management in orthopaedics
21 April 2021 FSEM-NCSEM Joint Conference, Sheffield (p'poned from 2020)
21 April 2021, 5:30pm NRAS JIA Zoom event: Navigating your Future with inflammatory arthritis
7 May 2021 BOA Congress closes to abstracts
21-24 Sept 2021 BOA Annual Congress 2021
30 Oct 2021 NICE Interventional Procedures patient q'aire closes
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We know that many people value our newsletter, webinars and the fact that we provide a voice for MSK health. We are increasingly asked: given that our membership is made up of organisations, how can an individual support ARMA? For this reason, we have set up a new supporter scheme.
Full details can be found on our Become an ARMA Supporter page.
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