I’ve read a few things about how hard it is to get going after the festive break, or “blue Monday” part way through January, rumoured to be the most depressing day of the year. I’ve had a very different experience this year with a positive start to 2020. January has involved conversations and planning for our 2020 activities. Lots of positivity from members and stakeholders means I’m optimistic and looking forward to a successful year.
One of the things our members want to focus on is multidisciplinary working – how different MSK professionals can work better together, with each other and with patients. People with MSK conditions need us all, from skilled surgeons to support from others with the same condition. MSK health is all about teamwork. With the introduction of Primary Care Networks there’s a lot more focus on teamwork and networked services, so the wider NHS agenda is moving in the right direction. We just need to make sure that PCNs make MSK a priority.
One aspect of our work where multi-disciplinary working is vital is pain. One thing I’m proud of this month is the publication of the report from our roundtable on pain. Feedback so far has been very positive. ARMA has two angles on the subject of pain. We want to see people with chronic pain have access to biopsychosocial support. We also want to reduce the delays in treatment for conditions which cause pain, whether that’s timely access to joint replacement surgery or reducing delays in diagnosis of MSK conditions. Both sides of this will form part or our work plan this year.
We get very positive feedback about the resources we produce, especially this newsletter and our webinars. We are aware that there are many people working in MSK who don’t yet know about them. So if you know of colleagues who might benefit, please forward this newsletter, or share on social media. The more we come together, the stronger we become.