MSK & Arthritis News

NHSE Consultation on conditions for which over-the-counter items should not routinely be prescribed in primary care

NHS England is consulting on proposals that will stop routine prescribing in primary care of over the counter treatments for a number of conditions, including the maintenance use of vitamin D. Receiving adequate vitamin D intake is crucial for current and future bone health and NICE Public Health Guideline 562 (PH56) states that a licensed dose of vitamin D, for prevention of vitamin D deficiency, should be widely available to at-risk groups.

The consultation recognises that vitamin D should continue to be prescribed for patients who are deficient and that it can be prescribed in combination with calcium for osteoporosis.…

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Foot Health Priority Setting Partnership survey

The University of Salford and the James Lind Alliance are leading a Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) which will ensure the perspectives of patients, carers and health care practitioners inform future research priorities for charities and funding agencies (such as NIHR). This PSP is an important step forward in understanding the current foot health research priorities across the UK, bringing patients, their carers and clinicians together to identify and prioritise unanswered questions about the effects of treatments (‘treatment uncertainties’) in specific conditions or areas of healthcare need.…

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MSK Medicine informs Choosing Wisely programme

The Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK will be submitting evidence and information on how Musculoskeletal Medicine and Exercise Medicine can contribute to the Choosing Wisely programme.

Choosing Wisely is a part of a global initiative, launched by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, aimed at improving conversations between patients and their doctors and nurses.

The purpose of the programme is to improve conversations between medical staff and patients to deliver enhanced care. The Academy explains; by having discussions that are informed by the doctor, but take into account what’s important to the patient too, both sides can be supported to make better decisions about care.…

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LUPUS UK publish results of their member survey

The recently published results of a LUPUS UK survey have revealed that lupus patients in the UK experience an average delay of 6.4 years between developing initial symptoms and reaching a diagnosis. In addition, the survey showed no change in this delay to diagnosis over recent decades despite efforts to improve identification and diagnosis of the disease.

The results of this survey, which was a collaboration between Manchester researchers and LUPUS UK, demonstrate that further work is needed to raise awareness of lupus amongst both healthcare professionals and patients in the UK to recognise the early symptoms and signs of the disease.…

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Accolade for ASone website & Axial Spondyloarthritis Seminar

ASone wins European Award

NASS is delighted to announce our ASone website is the inaugural winner of the EULAR Young PARE Youth Award.

In summer 2017 NASS launched ASone, a platform aimed at young people with AS. It’s a community where young people can share their thoughts, feelings and experiences. ASone covers a range of issues including studying, relationships, managing AS and exercising.

Read more about ASone from the NASS website.

 

Axial Spondyloarthritis Seminar

NASS welcomed 40 osteopaths and chiropractors to our inaugural Axial Spondyloarthritis Seminar on 21 February.…

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Update on Together for Mental Health in North Wales

Together for Mental Health in North Wales is an all-ages plan for mental health services in North
Wales covering the period up to 2021.

It has been put together by NHS Wales with partner organisations and with people who have lived experience of mental health issues. The project is supported by Caniad, an organisation created to involve people with lived experience in the design, delivery and evaluation of our mental health services.

The strategy outlines NHS Wales’s ambition to offer a comprehensive range of services that:

  • Promote health and wellbeing for everyone, focussing on prevention of mental ill health, and
    early intervention when required;
  • Treat common mental health conditions in the community as early as possible;
  • Are community-based wherever possible, reducing our reliance on inpatient care;
    Identify and treat serious mental illness as early as possible;
  • Manage acute and serious episodes of mental illness safely, compassionately, and
    effectively;
  • Support people to recovery, to regain and learn the skills they need after mental illness; and
  • Assess and treat the full range of mental health problems, working alongside services for
    people with physical health needs

Open the Together for Mental Health in North Wales strategy update document [PDF]
Law yn Llaw at Iechyd Meddwl yng Ngogledd Cymru – Chwefror 2018 [PDF]

 

BOA Congress 2018

Taking stock: Planning the future
25 – 28 September 2018, ICC Birmingham

Join the British Orthopaedic Association in Birmingham this September to celebrate its 100 year anniversary!

The BOA is delighted to be hosting its Centenary Congress at the ICC Birmingham.

The theme for this year’s Congress is ‘Taking stock: Planning the future’ and they are currently building an exciting programme which will be a dedication to the growth and success of the BOA since 1918.

Registering for BOA membership before 16th March to qualify for free registration to the BOA Congress.…

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Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs – A back-care toolkit

Guest blog by Alison Trewhela, Director of the Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs Institute

Evidence-based exercise for people restricted by back pain, fearful of movement, in considerable pain, or with other illnesses and injuries, ‘Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs’ (YHLB) is a gentle 12-week mind-body exercise programme offering a potentially life-long solution.

Public Health England has recently included YHLB as one of seven evidence-based MSK options in their PHE MSK ROI Return on Investment Interventions report and online tool.…

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Guest blog: Invisible disability at work

by Jane Green BSc. (HONS) Psych., PGCE, Av.Dip. Ed. Child Development, MA Ed.  (Leadership and Management / autism)

Why did I stop working in my professional career?

Two-and-a-half years ago I medically retired. This was after years of pain following full dislocations; half-dislocations; sprains; tears in joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons; and arthritis. I received my diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome 3 (now hEDS) and associated conditions later that year.

As a child, I did have a few problems with joints and did ‘party tricks’.…

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CEO update: Magic happens.

At the end of January, I had the pleasure of experiencing an ARMA lecture for the first time. The lecture itself was excellent. No surprises there as it was delivered by Dame Carol Black speaking on musculoskeletal conditions, disability and employment. If you missed it, you can see the slides and video on the ARMA website. Twitter discussion using #MSKatwork continued into the following days. Between this and the follow-up articles on the talk (such as this one by the CSP), the audience for our message was huge.…

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