collaboration

Implementing patient-initiated follow-up in rheumatology

New guidance on implementing patient-initiated follow-up (PIFU) in adult rheumatology services is now available. For clinicians, service managers and commissioners the guidance will support the appropriate, safe and sustainable implementation and delivery of PIFU for people with rheumatological conditions who are under the care of adult rheumatology services.

You can find the guidance on NHS England and NHS Improvement FutureNHS websites. If you are not already a member of FutureNHS platform, please visit the joingroup page to request access. You will be required to register for a FutureNHS account if you don’t already one.…

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#BestMSKHealth programme launch

NHS England has launched a new programme with the aim of sustaining the delivery of evidence-informed, personalised, high-quality integrated healthcare of value to all. This new initiative, part of the Pathways for Better Health Programme, significantly increases the resource to support MSK service delivery.

The programme covers the breadth of MSK including orthopaedics, rheumatology and pain, spanning primary secondary and community services. You can watch the launch event here.

The programme has ten workstreams, each led by a relevant clinical specialist:

Diagnostics
Orthopaedics
Rheumatology
Primary and Community MSK Provision
Spinal Services
Falls, Fragility Fractures and Osteoporosis
Data, Validation and Coding
Communications and Developing MSK Networks
Supporting those with Long Term MSK Conditions
Outpatients

There is the intention to ensure that the programme is coproduced involving the range of stakeholders including people with lived experience and patient organisations.…

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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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ARMA, PHE and the Centre for Ageing Better

ARMA joins Public Health England and the Centre for Ageing Better to make England the best place to grow old, because musculoskeletal health is vital to healthy ageing.

ARMA joined over sixty high-profile organisations in the UK’s health, housing, employment, research and voluntary sectors to launch a landmark shared vision on healthy ageing.

There are five key principles: prioritising prevention and public health; creating opportunities for people to contribute to society as they age; fostering accessible and inclusive homes and neighbourhoods so everyone can live where they want; narrowing inequalities in healthy ageing; and challenging ageist language, culture and practices.…

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Prevention Green Paper ARMA response

ARMA and its members have responded to the Government’s Green Paper: Advancing our health: Prevention in the 2020s.

ARMA welcomed the high profile of musculoskeletal conditions in the green paper which is important given that it is a fundamental building block of health and important for pain-free mobility.

Action is required by all parts of the NHS and local authorities as well as community groups, businesses and employers, to create the environment that will enable good lifetime MSK health.

ARMA responded with a consensus view of MSK patient and professional organisations. …

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