White Paper on NHS Reform

Policy Paper

Integration and innovation: Working together to improve health and social care for all

Updated 11 February 2021

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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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.

The document concludes that strategies for improving the health of England’s ethnic minority communities need to address the multiple factors that have an impact on their health. It identifies four areas for focus:

The role of public health and NHS services
Addressing the wider determinants of health
Tackling structural racism
Data

Read the explainer.

NOA webinar series events

The National Orthopaedic Alliance is running a series of webinars:

4 March 2021 – 12:30pm

NOA wellbeing webinar series: Supporting staff wellbeing during COVID-19 and beyond
(NOA member only event)

The first in NOA’s wellbeing webinar series looks 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). Further details about this NOA member only event: click here.…

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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.
When: Wednesday 10^th 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.

Visit this link to sign up.

In April, loin NRAS for a Zoom event for young people living with JIA:
Navigating your Future with inflammatory arthritis

This event is exclusively for young people aged 16-30.…

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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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X-Factor star learns about axial SpA

Talia Dean meets Dasha and Gillian to learn more about axial SpA (AS)

Singer-songwriter, Talia Dean, made a big announcement in January 2021. In 2020 she was diagnosed with axial SpA (AS). Watch this video as she meets Dasha and Gillian, who live with the disease, and starts her journey towards becoming an #ASWarrior. #TaliasASJourney

See Talia’s story in the BBC article, 15 January 2021:
‘My back pain was misdiagnosed for 15 years – now I can’t dance‘

Welcoming a new member

We are delighted to welcome a new ARMA member, Physio First.

Physio First is a membership trade association of self-employed Chartered physiotherapists. Their organisational statement of intent: to “champion evidenced value based private physiotherapy with Physio First members in the changing healthcare marketplace.”

Read more about Physio Fast on our Membership page.

Key MSK COVID-19 resources

ARMA continues to keep our COVID-19 resources page up to date. There have been some new resources added in recent weeks and others have become more relevant as the pressure on the NHS increases. Here are some of the key resources to be aware of:-

Urgent and Emergency Musculoskeletal Conditions Requiring Onward Referral

The guidance supports primary and community care practitioners in recognising serious pathology which requires emergency or urgent referral to secondary care in a patient who presents with new or worsening MSK symptoms.…

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CEO update: Looking forward together

by Sue Brown, CEO ARMA

Here we are back in lockdown, with the NHS under even more pressure and MSK services severely impacted. COVID-19 response is still dominating the work of ARMA, although we are also progressing plans for other work in 2021. There are some different issues for MSK this time around, and vaccination currently dominates our work. When some people with MSK conditions are vaccinated, the timings of MSK treatment may need to be considered.

I am delighted that ARMA can host a document setting out the principles for these timing decisions.…

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Guest blog – Necessity: the mother of invention!

by Clare Jacklin, Chief Executive, National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS)

We have been in the grip of this pandemic now for over a year and I’m sure you are all feeling, like me, rather fed up of it! Perfectly understandable, but we must not lose sight of that light that is at the end of this dark tunnel; and we ARE getting ever closer. The one thing I am struggling to comprehend is this talk of ‘going back to normal’. It is NORMAL that got us into this situation in the first place!…

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