MSK & Arthritis News

NICE Interventional Procedures Guidance

NICE are developing Interventional Procedures Guidance: High tibial osteotomy using a magnetic rod device for insertion for precise alignment in early knee arthritis IP1762.

In medial knee osteoarthritis, the cartilage in the inner part of the knee joint wears away. This can cause the joint to become lopsided, which can cause pain, stiffness, and difficulty bending and straightening the knee. In this procedure, a cut (osteotomy) is made in the top of one of the bones in the lower leg (tibia) and a magnetic nail is inserted into the bone.…

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NICE Joint replacement: hip, knee and shoulder

A NICE draft guideline on joint replacement (primary): hip, knee and shoulder and its supporting evidence is now out for consultation.

Comments can be submitted on the draft guideline to help ensure that the guideline considers important issues. The consultation page has all the information and documents to comment.

The Developer has produced an economic model to support the guideline. An executable version of this model is available on request and will be released on receipt of a completed confidentiality form.…

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PHE Musculoskeletal Health and Inequalities webinar

Public Health England together with Keele University and Race Equality Foundation invite you to join us for the ‘Musculoskeletal Health and Inequalities’ webinar, on 14 November 2019, 10:00 to 11:00am.  

This webinar will discuss the findings from commissioned work looking at evidence on the differential effectiveness of PHE’s publication on return on investment interventions and what we know about their current level and patterns of provision and uptake. The webinar will then explore data sources to demonstrate these inequalities and discuss the evidence, quantitative and qualitative, on what MSK health inequalities exist for people with a Learning Disability and BAME groups.…

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National MSK Health Data Group

Versus Arthritis is hosting the 11th National MSK Health Data Group on Monday 2nd December 2019 from 9:00-13:00, followed by lunch and networking until 14:00 at The Royal Society, London, SW1Y 5AG.

The speaker programme will run in line with the event’s main ethos of creating a common forum to empower all those working on and with an interest in MSK-related data to come together and both share and hear about the data-related activities going on across the MSK community.

The programme for the day with be focused around key talking points in the MSK data community covering topics such as MSK conditions in children and young people, improving the quality of care in MSK pain medicine, and general project updates from ongoing projects such as the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis audit and the possible development of an MSK Intelligence Network.…

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Prevention Green Paper ARMA response

ARMA and its members have responded to the Government’s Green Paper: Advancing our health: Prevention in the 2020s.

ARMA welcomed the high profile of musculoskeletal conditions in the green paper which is important given that it is a fundamental building block of health and important for pain-free mobility.

Action is required by all parts of the NHS and local authorities as well as community groups, businesses and employers, to create the environment that will enable good lifetime MSK health.

ARMA responded with a consensus view of MSK patient and professional organisations. …

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National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit first report

The National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit (NEIAA) collects information on all new patients over the age of sixteen seen in specialist rheumatology departments with suspected inflammatory arthritis in England and Wales. The first report was published in October. The audit assesses seven key metrics of care provided for people with new symptoms of arthritis attending rheumatology services for the first time and makes recommendations for services, educators and commissioners.

Some of the key findings include:

  • Secondary care units take an average of 28 days to achieve first assessment, compared to a target of three weeks.
…

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SOMM Musculoskeletal core capabilities framework

The Society of Musculoskeletal Medicine (SOMM) has produced a short paper mapping capabilities within the published ‘Musculoskeletal core capabilities framework for first point of contact practitioners’* to the Society’s course provision.  

The domains identified within the framework provide categories for the capabilities that underpin first contact practice. Practitioners can be signposted to appropriate modules to facilitate the development of the advanced skills required for their MSK First Contact Practitioner (FCP) role. The Society’s programme of courses already accommodates key capabilities that learners across a range of health professions need, to be able to develop as FCPs.…

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NICE Fellowships and Scholarships

The NICE Fellows and Scholars programmes will be recruiting to their 2020 intake from Monday 2 September until Monday 28 October 2019.

Fellowships

Are you an experienced leader in health and social care? Could you build an influential network that helps us to implement our guidance? NICE fellows are experienced leaders from the field of health and social care who are our ambassadors at regional and national levels.

Learn more about NICE Fellows. Fellowship recruitment is now open until 28 October 2019.…

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Physical activity e-learning programme

Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare (HEE e-LfH) has worked with Public Health England and Sport England to launch a new physical activity e-learning programme to help healthcare professionals to champion physical activity with patients.

The e-learning programme, which is aimed at GPs, nurses and other healthcare professionals, will familiarise the learner with the UK Chief Medical Officers’ Physical Activity guidelines.

This e-learning course prepares GPs, nurses and other healthcare professionals to champion the benefits of physical activity with their patients and, in doing so, help prevent and manage a range of common physical and mental health conditions.…

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Do one thing to prioritise MSK health

We are now very close to Bone and Joint Week, which begins on 12 October. It’s a chance to remind everyone of the fundamental importance of MSK health. Today I learned that there is some evidence that people with hip and knee arthritis who don’t receive treatment may die early due to cardiovascular conditions. It makes sense. If you are in too much pain to be active your general health will suffer. Add to this the impact of depression, isolation and loneliness, all of which also affects physical health.…

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