Arthritis News & Musculoskeletal News from ARMA's Members

ORUK launches fund for MSK start-ups

ORUK funding Orthopaedic Research UK has launched this year’s Ronald Furlong Fund for startups solving unmet needs in MSK health.

Named in honour of the charity’s founder, who combined a successful career as an orthopaedic surgeon with an equally successful career as an entrepreneur, the Fund offers up to £100K to UK-based startups to help accelerate innovative and commercially viable ideas.

Previous recipients of the Ronald Furling Fund include Radii Devices, which deploys s AI and biomechanical modelling to help clinicians design better fitting prosthetic sockets; Novara Therapeutics, which is commercialising the world’s first patented bio-specific solution for the targeted diagnosis and treatment of bone microfractures , and Renovos Biologics, which is pioneering the use of a nanoclay in injectable gel form that can carry biologic drugs capable of augmenting bone tissue regeneration.…

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CCAA’s local area Facebook groups

The CCAA has a new local area Facebook group for Herefordshire. This adds to the existing groups, now covering all counties across England and Wales.

Families can find their nearest CCAA local area Facebook group here.

These are online support groups, run and monitored by volunteers at CCAA. They aim to allow families to connect within their local area to share the journey. Health professionals may wish to signpost these groups to their patients.

There are not currently local area groups for Scotland as this area is covered by SNAC (Scottish Network for Arthritis in Children), but the CCAA will always support families in Scotland if they reach out, of course.

Devastating postcode lottery for osteoporosis medication

The Royal Osteoporosis Society and the APPG on Osteoporosis and Bone Health have published a new report exposing how a “postcode lottery” in NHS prescribing leaves over 1 million women without access to vital bone-strengthening treatments. This analysis calls for unified, system-wide policy reform to ensure equitable medication pathways for all.

Read the full report here.

ARMA announces appointment of new Chief Executive

The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) is thrilled to announce the appointment of Adrian Bradley as its new Chief Executive, starting mid-June.

Adrian joins after eight and a half years as Head of Healthier Communities at the English Football League (EFL) Trust – the national charity that represents, advises and supports a network of seventy-two charities linked to professional football clubs across England and Wales. He has extensive knowledge and experience of tackling health inequalities in some of the country’s most disadvantaged communities.…

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Joint Venture gathering – save the date

Earlier this year, Orthopaedic Research UK (ORUK) launched the Joint Venture, MSK Innovation Network – a community of people and institutions interested in innovation within MSK health including innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers and investors. The aim is to build and nurture an engaged community that provides a forum for debate, a force for positive change (especially in tackling systemic barriers to innovation) and an incubator of new ideas and tangible solutions.

The next Joint Venture gathering will take place in Central London on the afternoon and early evening of 24^th June 2025.…

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ORUK joins Obesity Health Alliance

The links between poor musculoskeletal (MSK) health and obesity are well documented. 70% of people experiencing poor MSK health are overweight or obese, and obesity is an important and potentially modifiable risk factor in the onset and progression of MSK conditions. This is why we are Orthopaedic Research UK (ORUK) is delighted to be joining the Obesity Health Alliance; a coalition of over 60 organisations working together to reduce obesity by influencing Government policy.

The goal of the Obesity Health Alliance is to prevent obesity-related ill-health by supporting evidence-based population level policies to help address the wider environmental factors that lead to excess bodyweight.…

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Supported self-management webinars

NRAS invites healthcare professionals to exclusive webinars on supported self-management.

The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) is pleased to announce two upcoming webinars designed to empower healthcare professionals with tools and insights for supported self-management in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). These webinars will provide an overview of NRAS’s key services and resources, aimed at enhancing patient care and professional practice.

Webinar Details:

19^th May 2025, 12_pm, hosted by Donagh Stenson
7^th July 2025, 1_pm, hosted by Ailsa Bosworth, MBE

Each session will last approximately 45 minutes and offer healthcare professionals the opportunity to learn about NRAS’s free services.…

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NRAS: Launching our Welsh Survey Results

In Autumn 2024, NRAS conducted a Survey of people with Inflammatory Arthritis (IA) across Wales, collecting data about the patient experience of accessing rheumatology services in 2024.

NRAS launched the report on 22^nd April 2025 when Peter Foxton, CEO of NRAS, hosted a live webinar discussing the results together with a discussion of how we can improve the patient experience for people living with Inflammatory Arthritis in Wales. He was joined by Ailsa Bosworth, National Patient Champion, Sadé Asker, Senior Policy Officer and Dr Ceril Rhys-Dillon, Consultant Rheumatologist and Clinical Lead for the Rheumatology Clinical Implementation Network in Wales.…

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Act Now one year on

by Sue Brown, CEO ARMA

We have just passed the one year anniversary of the publication of our Act Now report on MSK health inequalities. A good time to evaluate the success of the project. It’s clear that we have made an impact. That people are acting on the key messages and recommendations. It is also clear just how far we still have to go.

When we started the project we were clear that this was not about producing a report.…

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Would you like to be an ARMA Trustee?

Nominations are now open for election to the ARMA Trustee Board. The deadline is Friday 23 May 2025.

Trustees are responsible for the governance, strategy and management of the charity. They contribute to the strategic development of the organisation and the delivery of its services, taking part in Board meetings and in other activities between meetings as required.

To stand for election, a candidate must be nominated by an ARMA member organisation with which they have a connection. We welcome people with either lived or learned experience of MSK.…

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