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ARMA Newsletter February 2022
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Learning to live with the virus – collectively
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As Plan B ends in England and the other nations in the UK remove different aspects of COVID protections, the news is all of learning to live with the virus and getting back to normal. For very many people with MSK conditions this is not the experience. Whether it is people facing long waits for treatment or people taking medication that puts them at increased risk, living with the virus and its consequences is harder for some.
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Guest blog: No pain, no gain?
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Looking differently at leisure places as spaces for chronic pain management
by Ben Wilkins, CEO, Good Boost
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15.5 million people in England live with chronic pain. Approximately 5.5 million (12% of the population) have high-impact chronic pain, where pain makes it an on-going challenge to take part in daily activities (Versus Arthritis, 2021). The main contributing factor for 8-in-10 people living with chronic pain are musculoskeletal conditions, such as osteoarthritis, back and neck pain. For people living with this, it’s not just a ‘ache in your back’ or a ‘twinge in your knee’, it’s an unrelenting and all-consuming part of everyday life.
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ORUK joins ARMA
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Last week saw ARMA welcome new member, Orthopaedic Research UK (ORUK), to the alliance.
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ORUK funds breakthrough research and education programmes in bone, joint and muscle wellbeing to reduce the burden of poor musculoskeletal health on individuals, workplaces and our health system. The charity was established in 1989 by the orthopaedic surgeon Ronald Furlong FRCS and has become one of the most significant funders of musculoskeletal research, education and innovation in the UK, working alongside many of the UK’s leading MSK professionals and institutions.
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Rheumatology PIFU guidance
The updated rheumatology PIFU (Patient Initiated Follow-Up) guidance is now on NHS England and NHS Improvement’s FutureNHS platform. The document is aimed at clinicians, service managers and commissioners the guidance supports the appropriate, safe, and sustainable implementation and delivery of PIFU for people with rheumatological conditions who are under the care of adult rheumatology services.
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#SolvingTogether hip and knee replacement challenge
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#SolvingTogether is an initiative to capture, assess, test and share ideas that support elective recovery. It was initiated by Director of Transformation for NHS England and Improvement Tim Ferris. It takes the form of a crowdsourcing platform where people can post ideas, backed up by tweet chats.
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The major phase of #SolvingTogether will start in mid-February 2022. It will consist of six challenges that we will ask a huge range of people to respond to: people working at the point of care, service users and families, clinical and managerial leaders, partners in other sectors and clinical innovators and entrepreneurs. We anticipate hundreds of good ideas for improvement. This phase will be led by regional teams of NHS England and Improvement, supported by a national team.
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Webinars to watch
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If you missed our last webinar, it’s available to watch again:
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Key MSK COVID-19 resources
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ARMA continues to keep its COVID-19 resources page up to date.
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Members' news
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FLS amendment to the Health and Care Bill
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Lord Black's amendment to the Health and Care Bill calling for equal access to FLS
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On 20 January 2022, the House of Lords were again debating the Health and Care Bill and Lord Black of Brentwood put forward an amendment to the Bill which would make Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) a core service offered by the NHS in England.
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Arthritis Action Marks 80th Anniversary
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2022 marks 80 years of Arthritis Action supporting communities affected by arthritis, with a year of special events and activities. To commemorate this milestone anniversary, the charity introduces a year-long campaign of events and activities recognising the members, partners, volunteers, and organisations who have shown their generous support over the past eight decades.
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ESCAPE-pain facilitator training
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Enabling Self-management and Coping with Arthritic Pain using Exercise (ESCAPE-pain): facilitator training courses
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The ESCAPE-pain programme is an evidence based, group rehabilitation programme that aims to support people living with chronic knee or hip pain, or non-specific low back pain:
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- ESCAPE-pain for knees and hips
- ESCAPE-pain for backs
The flexibility of ESCAPE-pain means it can be delivered in a variety of locations and by a range of professionals.…
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Vitamin D and Calcium webinar
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Vitamin D and Calcium - an overview with a focus on bone health PCRMM webinar
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Tuesday 1 March 2022,
7 – 8.30pm
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This webinar about calcium and vitamin D will cover: indications for testing; interpretation and significance of abnormal results; calcium and vitamin D replacement; and, a brief overview of the evidence and clinical need for calcium and vitamin D replacement in the context of musculoskeletal disease.
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Diploma in MSK Medicine exam
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Registration is now open for the second sitting of FSEM’s Diploma in Musculoskeletal Medicine exam, aimed at doctors and allied health professionals looking to evidence their competency across the breadth of MSK care. Developed jointly by the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine (UK) and the Primary Care Rheumatology & Musculoskeletal Medicine Society (PCRMM), the examination and associated qualification recognises excellence in MSK care and provides a benchmark of quality for both service commissioners and patients.
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NOA Annual Members' Conference 2022 - call for speakers
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The second National Orthopaedic Alliance (NOA) Annual Members’ Conference will take place in Birmingham on Wednesday 19 October 2022 and the NOA is now accepting submissions for speakers.
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Do you have a project, best practice or opportunity you would like to share with NOA members on the day? To put forward a speaker email info.noa@nhs.net by 1 March 2022. Find out more on the NOA website.
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Orthopaedic recruitment during COVID
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NOA Webinar: COVID Orthopaedic Recovery: National and International recruitment
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The first National Orthopaedic Alliance webinar for 2022 will look at national and international recruitment.
Probably the biggest issue impeding orthopaedic surgery recovery is staffing. Many members of staff have left the NHS, retired early or have long term medical and/or mental health issues that limit their ability to work.
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The changing healthcare landscape
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20. In her most recent blog about the changes in the healthcare landscape caused by the pandemic, the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society’s National Patient Champion, Ailsa Bosworth MBE reflects on how these changes will impact on the care of people with RA and Adult JIA. She considers how it has become even more important for those with these autoimmune conditions to be able to learn about their disease…
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NRAS Apni Jung Videos
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Important news for South Asian people with RA / PsA!
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NRAS has launched two new videos in Punjabi on the early inflammatory arthritis pathway which feature GP patient consultation and members of the multi-disciplinary team describing their roles. Please share widely.
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You can view the videos here:
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Are you looking for a new opportunity?
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The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) is looking for new colleagues to join their team. There are some great opportunities to join the charity as they embark on their ambitious next three year strategy. Will you help NRAS deliver their vision of 'Life without limits for those living with RA or JIA’? If you have a can-do attitude to work and life, with the skills needed, you could be just the person NRAS want to hear from.
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Recent BSR report on health inequalities
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The British The British Society of Rheumatology recently published its National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit report (opens in PDF) focusing on the association between ethnicity, processes of care and health outcomes, highlighting the variation between ethnic groups.
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Some of the report’s key findings include:
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- Fewer Black, Asian and ethnic minority patients reported disease remission by three-month follow-up compared to white patients (30% compared to 37%)
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Upcoming MSK and sports medicine events at the RSM
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The Royal Society of Medicine has a number of upcoming events. All events have an online option.
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Musculoskeletal examination masterclass
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Date: 28 February 2022
Time: 9:00am to 5:20pm GMT
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RSM Members: £30.00-£96.00 Non-members: £55.00-£176.00
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This will be an exciting world-class conference in the fundamental examination of the musculoskeletal system as part of the patient or athlete. Join this popular annual masterclass for the opportunity to learn from specialists about the key elements of the musculoskeletal examination.
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ARMA publishes health equalities roundtable report
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ARMA published a report on health equalities following a roundtable event. The report highlights solutions and recommendations focussed on MSK health equalities. It is well known that the prevalence and impact of musculoskeletal conditions are not experienced equally across the population. Musculoskeletal conditions are linked to deprivation, age, are more prevalent in women, and disproportionately affect some ethnic groups.
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ARMA publishes chronic pain resources
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Last month ARMA published a suite of chronic pain resources to address the 15.5 million people and 81% of people with a musculoskeletal condition reporting being in chronic pain. Chronic (persistent or long-lasting or recurrent) pain is life-changing and can affect all parts of life. Chronic pain is linked to deprivation and health inequalities. For these reasons, chronic pain is important to the ARMA alliance of members.
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ARMA members have collaborated to produce these resources:
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This sets out what ARMA believes should be available in every area for people living with long term pain. Most of this provision needs to be delivered locally, as close as possible to people. We believe that every local health body (ICS, Health Board or Health and Social Care Trust) should have a plan for how this will be delivered. Read the "Core Offer".
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ARMA Chronic Pain Policy Position Paper
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The policy position paper makes recommendations for chronic pain including that more community-based approaches to pain should be developed to meet the needs of people with chronic pain. Multidisciplinary, networked, personalised approaches to pain should be standard.
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ARMA Calendar
| 1 Feb 2022, 6 - 8pm |
Versus Arthritis Core Skills in MSK Care digital course |
| 8 Feb 2022, 6 - 8pm |
Versus Arthritis Core Skills in MSK Care digital course |
| 16 Feb 2022, 1pm |
NOA webinar: COVID Orthopaedic Recovery: Recruitment |
| 27 Feb 2022 |
FSEM Diploma in MSK Medicine registration closes |
| 28 Feb 2022, 9am - 5:20pm |
RSM Musculoskeletal examination masterclass |
| 1 March 2022 |
NOA Members’ Conference closes for speaker submissions |
| 1 March 2022, 7 - 8.30pm |
Vitamin D and Calcium – PCRMM bone health webinar |
| 14 March 2022 |
Nuffield Foundation deadline for outline applications |
| 15 March 2022 |
Edgar Stene Prize winner announcement |
| 24 March 2022, 2 - 4pm |
‘Is it inflammatory arthritis or fibromyalgia syndrome?’ webinar |
| 25 March 2022, 8:30am - 5pm |
RSM's Impact of oral health on athletic performance and wellbeing |
| 31 March 2022 |
BMP Grant closes for applications |
| 4 May 2022 |
FSEM Diploma in MSK Medicine exam |
| 13–17 June 2022 |
JIA Awareness Week |
| 17 June 2022 |
#WearPurpleforJIA Day |
| 12–18 Sept 2022 |
RA Awareness Week |
| 19 Oct 2022 |
NOA Annual Members’ Conference, Birmingham |
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We know that many people value our newsletter, webinars and the fact that we provide a voice for MSK health. We are increasingly asked: given that our membership is made up of organisations, how can an individual support ARMA? For this reason, we have set up a new supporter scheme.
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