MSK & Arthritis News

BOA position on suspending surgery due to COVID-19

With cases of COVID-19 currently rising across the UK, there are discussions of a second wave resulting in a spike in COVID-19 -related hospital admissions this autumn. In the first wave many of the activities of the NHS were put on hold as a precaution to preserve capacity. This was understandable in the face of a rapidly escalating and unpredictable threat. However, the BOA is keen to help ensure that in the event of a second wave the normal care of our patients is only suspended as a consequence of absolute necessity.…

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BOA Virtual Congress 2020

The BOA ran a member-only Virtual Congress across the two weeks of 15-25 September 2020.

Members can view recordings of the live sessions and the pre-recorded sessions on the BOA website. Take a look at the live session recordings from across the 2020 BOA Virtual Congress. Sessions include, T&O and COVID19; the good, the bad and the future, Howard Steel, Capturing Positive Change – the NHS Change Challenge, Medico Legal Implications of Covid for orthopaedics, The Future of Orthopaedic Training: Diversity and Education, Elective Orthopaedics Re-Start After COVID-19, free paper sessions and more.…

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Let’s Move with Leon

Versus Arthritis has launched a new free physical activity programme, Let’s Move with Leon, designed and presented by exercise expert Leon Wormley who specialises in working with people with arthritis and related conditions. The programme consists of weekly 30-minute movement sessions delivered right to a subscriber’s email inbox. Leon’s classes are a holistic, full-body programme and – they’re great fun!

Anyone can sign up to Let’s Move with Leon here.

For people who are not yet ready to commit to a weekly exercise, we also launched the Let’s Move programme.…

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NRAS Work survey

In July and August 2020, NRAS ran a survey asking about the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on the working lives of people living with rheumatoid arthritis or another form of inflammatory arthritis.

The survey received 348 responses and a short report will be published next month. The overall picture is a concerning one: people reported that their career opportunities, in-work support and the understanding they experienced from colleagues and employers dropped slightly during lockdown. Asked about their expectations for the future, many expected this trend to get worse.…

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Landmark parliamentary axial (SpA) debate

Landmark parliamentary debate highlights the NASS campaign for faster diagnosis time for thousands of people with axial (SpA)

On 17 September, a parliamentary debate on axial SpA (AS) was a landmark moment in the campaign to reduce diagnosis times and improve the care for thousands of people living with axial SpA (AS).

The debate was led by Tom Randall MP, who lives with axial SpA (AS) and shared with the House his personal experience of a delay to diagnosis, including being passed from one health care professional to another, before finally receiving the correct diagnosis.…

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Co-production: patients and healthcare professionals improving care together

Last month’s newsletter included a blog about how NHS England/Improvement is working in partnership with people with lived experience of MSK conditions to “co-produce” work on MSK services. In September, over fifty people joined our tweet chat on co-production. In the course of an hour, professionals and people with MSK conditions engaged in lively discussion and debate about what helps coproduction, what gets in the way and good examples in practice. A summary of the discussion has now been published.

Coproduction means that all involved feel engaged in a collaborative healthcare approach with a shared commitment to quality, where everyone is treated with respect and dignity and everyone feels that their needs matter.…

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NHS Change Challenge initiatives published

The NHS Change Challenge used crowdsourcing to identify almost 200 initiatives introduced during lockdown which proved beneficial. The project is now working to write these up in more detail so that we can publish them back onto the site for further comments and discussion. Due to the overwhelming responses received, the focus initially is on writing up the highest-scoring ideas based on impact and feasibility within each challenge area. 

The first two ideas have been published on the site. Keep checking for further ideas which will be published over the next few weeks.

Pandemic Patient Experience

The Patients Association has published a report of patient experiences of Covid-19. The results show the massive toll on all patients of the coronavirus pandemic and the emergency measures taken in response to it. Some patients reported good ongoing care, and were impressed by the way their local communities came together to support them.

The report contains recommendations for the next phase of the emergency response, and also a call for the health and care system to be built back better after the pandemic: the current emergency footing cannot be the basis for the ongoing relationship between patients and the NHS.…

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NICE guideline: Low Back pain and sciatica

NICE has published the final guidelines on Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management. Supporting evidence, tools and resources as well as all the stakeholder comments are available. NICE said the comments were invaluable in refining the guidelines. NICE produced an equality impact assessment too.

NICE included the recommendations of this guidelines in the NICE Pathway on Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management. There is an interactive flowchart which brings everything together from the guideline.…

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