No health without MSK health

Prevention is in the news this week as Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock announced that prevention must be at the heart of the NHS long-term plan, with more spending on community services.

This is welcome news and something ARMA and our members have long called for.

The new prevention vision aims to ensure that people can enjoy at least five extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035, while narrowing the gap between the experience of the richest and poorest.…

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HMSA at COP2018

HMSA Trustee and HSD Ambassador, Hannah Ensor will be a speaker at the COP2018 conference on the 24 November, raising awareness and understanding of hypermobility syndromes, focusing mainly on hEDS and HSD, but also touching on complications associated with other HDCTs too.

Hypermobility (having joints that are more flexible than average) is often thought to be a childhood problem that people grow out of. In reality the evidence shows that while approximately 30% of children with EDS/HMS reported pain, over 80% of patients over 40 with EDS/HMS report pain – indicating that it is an issue which often causes more problems over time rather than less.…

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New GBD 2016 UK paper

A new paper published [24 October 2018] in the Lancet highlights regional imbalances in health and reveals the huge burden of disability linked to long-term conditions such as low back and neck pain, anxiety and depression, highlighting the need for health services to adapt to managing these conditions. 

The study uses GBD 2016 data on mortality, causes of death, and disability to analyse the burden of disease in the countries of the UK and within local authorities in England by deprivation quintile.…

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HSE’s ‘Risk-reduction through design’ Award

The HSE wants to inspire businesses to consider how ergonomics–based design changes can reduce the risks of work related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and nominate design changes that have made a real impact

The ‘Risk-reduction through design’ Award is sponsored by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF).

Make a nomination for 2018

You can nominate design solutions implemented in Great Britain during the 2018 calendar year that have demonstrated how they’ve reduced MSD risks for workers.…

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ARMA’s new strategy for 2019 – 2021

Over the last few months ARMA has been working with members on a new strategy, setting out more clearly what we work on and how we work in collaboration with our members. We will work in those areas where collaboration will have bigger impact than any single organization working alone. Through greater clarity and focus we expect to achieve greater impact. If you are reading this and thinking that your professional body or patient organisation isn’t a member but really should be part of this, encourage them to join.…

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Attend the annual ARMA lecture on physical activity

Taking place on Wednesday 21 November 2018 at 6pm in London.

Hear and debate three perspectives on physical activity at the Annual ARMA Lecture, this year in partnership with Versus Arthritis. Three outstanding speakers, Nick Pearson, CEO parkrun, Michael Brennan, Physical Activity Programme Manager, Public Health England and Claire Harris, Physiotherapist speak to the theme: More people, more active, more often: three perspectives on physical activity and musculoskeletal health

Physical activity is good for promoting musculoskeletal health and helps alleviate the symptoms of musculoskeletal conditions.…

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The first Versus Arthritis campaign

Monday 5 November will see the launch of the first national campaign by Versus Arthritis in their new guise and brand.

As you know well, all too often, arthritis is dismissed. It is seen as inevitable, unavoidable, insignificant and untreatable. Society shrugs it off as “just a bit of arthritis”. The new campaign aims to drive greater recognition of arthritis and related conditions across government and society.

Versus Arthritis wants to create an environment where the 10 million people with arthritis can live better – free from the pain, fatigue and isolation.…

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New arthritis survey: the Impact on Daily Life

Arthritis Action has released the findings from a nation-wide questionnaire-based study looking into the life impacts of arthritis on people of working age in Great Britain. The research, carried out by YouGov, surveyed 2074 people to reveal the effects that the condition can have on personal well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health.

It highlights the true impact of arthritis on the millions of people living with it every day, affecting all aspects of their lives, from their mental health to their family life, work, social activities, and physical health.…

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Webinar: Integrated Pain Assessment and Spinal Service

A new way of delivering MSK pain service: Integrated Pain Assessment and Spinal Service

Tuesday 20 November 12.30

The webinar will describe the Integrated Pain Assessment and Spinal Service (IPASS) which started in 2016 in Berkshire West. It will describe the previous state of pain management in Berkshire West and the reasons for coming together as a system to develop IPASS. It will cover how joint working with a strong patient focus can improve outcomes, and outline the positive outcomes post IPASS which has been recognised by the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) for a Best Practice Award in 2016.…

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New video: webinar on commissioning a community-based service

You can now see the video from our recent webinar in the Musculoskeletal Networks series:
Commissioning for Quality: Community-based Rheumatology Service

Presented by Erica Gould, Nurse Consultant at Community Rheumatology Service Modality Partnership, the webinar outlines how a community-based rheumatology service can provide effective management of rheumatology patients, with benefits both to the patients and the usage of clinical resources.

Findings from the pilot study demonstrated that patients requiring disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS) can easily be managed in a community setting.…

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