Guest Blog | ARMA

Guest blog: Representation in the workforce

by Hannah Oladugba, Physiotherapist, ACPT Network

When I first decided to become a physiotherapist, I looked to my search engine (I believe this was ‘ASK Jeeves’ at the time) for as much information on the profession as possible. I quickly found that physiotherapy is, traditionally, a profession that has long been perceived as Caucasian and middle class. And even in more recent years, research has shown that, from 2017 to 2018, only 19% of all UK physiotherapy programme student enrolments were from a Black and minority ethnic background.…

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Guest blog: A rollercoaster year in MSK

by Andrew Bennett, National Clinical Director for Musculoskeletal Conditions NHS England and NHS Improvement

It’s been a year since I was fortunate to attend the annual ARMA lecture at the canal museum in London and enjoyed a fantastic talk by Brendan Stubbs about physical activity and mental health. New to the role of National Clinical Director for MSK, this was the first time I met Sue Brown the CEO of ARMA, as well as number of other colleagues from the MSK world.…

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Reaching our goal of more years of life in good health

Blog for #BoneJointWeek from Nuzhat Ali, National Lead for Musculoskeletal Health for Public Health England.

Every October, Bone and Joint Week helps get people thinking about one of the most widespread and pressing health issues of our times – musculoskeletal (MSK) health.

Good MSK health is when muscles, bones and joints are working together to carry out daily functions and activities with ease and without pain or discomfort.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way many of us think about our health and wellbeing, especially how we achieve good MSK health.…

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Guest blog: How to postpone becoming a bionic woman

Better communications with symptomatic hypermobility patients leads to better outcomes

By Jane Green – advocate ex Assist. Headteacher, BSc (HONS) Psych., PGCE QTS, Adv.Dip.Ed.(CD), MA Ed. (Leadership and Management), Social Care Institute for Excellence Trustee and on the co-production steering board for four years

For anyone on the long journey to diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) (previously Joint Hypermobility syndrome (JHS)) or the closely related Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders (HSD), the knowledge, practice and understanding of appropriate musculoskeletal issues from practitioners is hugely beneficial.…

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Guest blog: Dancing on the Rusty Brown Carpet

by Victoria Wells, a personal reflection about a new play with a theme of dancing for health – how a work of theatrical art relates to my experience of joint replacement surgery, pre-operative rehab, post-op rehabilitation and a lifetime of dancing.

On 3 October 2020, a play by Fiona Hamilton will be screened for the first time.
My experience contributed to one of its main characters.

As a child I enjoyed dancing and getting lost in the rhythm. I was born with hip dysplasia that was not diagnosed until mid-childhood and, as a result, I walked with constant pain.…

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Power to the people: Coproducing the National Musculoskeletal Strategy

JOIN THE TWEETCHAT ‘Power to the people’ – Coproducing MSK 21 Sept 2020, 7-8pm #MSKCoPro

This guest blog was coproduced by :-
Mark Agathangelou, Lived Experience Group member;
Aimee Robson, Head of Personalised Care (Clinical, Workforce & Quality);
Andrew Bennett, National Clinical Director MSK conditions;
Cristina Serrao, Lived Experience Ambassador;
and Helen Lee, Experience of Care Professional Lead.

In this blog, Musculoskeletal (MSK) leads within NHS England and Improvement and people with lived experience consider why coproduction is the golden thread of achieving the highest quality care that is valued by all.…

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Guest blog: the Change Challenge Collaborative

by Greta McLachlan, Fellow at the Strategic planning and development cell, NHS England and Improvement, part of the Change Challenge Collaborative.

The change challenge collaborative is a group of professionals who have come together to work across the MSK, orthopaedic and rheumatology specialties to try and capture beneficial changes that have occurred within the NHS during COVID- 19. The aim being to try and capture these changes and ideas to ensure that these innovations are not lost when the NHS comes out of its pandemic measures.…

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How do you make care person-centred for the child and family?

Guest blog by Nina Davies, Project Lead: Integrating Long Term Condition Training and Development, Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust; Co-Chair Children’s Podiatry Special Advisory Group, The College of Podiatry

Person-centred care (‘person first’ or ‘child and family centred care’) is a term to reflect treating the whole person, encompassing physical, mental and social wellness, environment and personal circumstances. It is an approach which looks beyond the symptoms of a disease and aims to meet the person’s needs and priorities before those of the system or a professional.…

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The changing landscape of orthopaedic services in light of the COVID-19 pandemic

Guest blog by

Cormac Kelly, Consultant Upper Limb Surgeon at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

and

Peter Kay, National Orthopaedic Alliance (NOA) Lead Clinician and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The COVID-19 crisis has changed the delivery of planned orthopaedic surgery drastically. As the pandemic continues to subside, the NHS, with various guidance from Public Health England, Medical and Surgical Colleges, the British Orthopaedic Association, and others, is working on a plan to get surgery back on track.…

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Guest blog: MSK First Contact Practitioner roles

MSK First Contact Practitioner roles; are they fit for the future for Primary Care?

by
Amanda Hensman-Crook FCSP, HEE AHP National Clinical Fellow, Consultant MSK Physiotherapist
Neil Langridge FCSP, Consultant MSK Physiotherapist
Laura Finucane FCSP, MSK Consultant MSK Physiotherapist
Chris Mercer FCSP, MSK Consultant MSK Physiotherapist

MSK First Contact Practitioner roles and the advancing practice agenda is moving at pace and as a result, there has been some anxiety around the MSK First Contact workforce. This has been expressed about several aspects of the roles, including:

numbers needed to ensure sustainability without wider destabilisation of the MSK workforce
where the workforce will come from with the requisite capability
concern about governance of the roles
who provides the supervision and support
a general need to understand the offer of the role to primary care
concern from other MSK professions that they are not included in the GP contract reimbursement scheme (DES) and where they might fit in the bigger picture.

…

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