MSK & Arthritis News

Medical Devices Regulation and waiting times

Medical Devices Regulation from 2020

On 26 May 2017 the Medical Devices Regulation (MDR 2017/745) was published, with the aim of replacing the current Medical Devices Directive (MDD 93/43/EC). Following a transition period of three years, this regulation will be applied in full from 26 May 2020.

The BOA has recently published its position statement on the MDR. They welcome the drive to improve the rigour and regulation of novel devices and procedures for the benefit of patients. However, the BOA raises some particular concerns with regard to legacy devices, regulation of different types of device, value of registry data in evaluating devices and long term monitoring.…

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Versus Arthritis: responses to consultations

Versus Arthritis have made available their responses to recent consultations and governmental health proposals.

In particular, you can read November’s response to the HM Government consultation ‘Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s’, and the joint submission document, sent alongside other charities and health organisations, to highlight the urgent need for increased, sustainable public health funding.

Visit the Versus Arthritis Consultation Responses page.

Fibromyalgia survey for healthcare professionals

Can you help us improve healthcare for people with fibromyalgia in the UK?

Professor Gary Macfarlane and Dr Rosemary Hollick of the PACFiND study team are looking for healthcare professionals who see patients with fibromyalgia to take part in a short online survey.

This survey will help PACFiND understand current provision of NHS services for people with fibromyalgia.

PACFiND (PAtient-centred Care for Fibromyalgia: New pathway Design) is a project aimed at developing new pathways of care for people with fibromyalgia. 

Please click here to complete this survey.…

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NICE: Guselkumab for treating active psoriatic arthritis

Draft Scope Consultation

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been asked to consider an appraisal of guselkumab for treating active psoriatic arthritis after inadequate response to DMARDs ID1658.

NICE invited organisations to take part in the consultation to discuss the draft remit and scope. The organisations selected as stakeholders are listed here and the draft scope that is being consulted on can be found here.

The consultation closes on Wednesday 18 December 2019. If you have any queries regarding this scoping exercise or would like to be involved you can contact Michelle Adhemar, Scoping Project Manager at [email protected]…

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Edgar Stene Prize Competition 2020 – EULAR

The late Edgar Stene, who had severe ankylosing spondylitis, was a great promoter of co-operation between doctors, patients and community workers. The EULAR Edgar Stene Prize Competition runs yearly in his memory and honour. First prize is € 1,000 and the winner will be invited to attend the EULAR Congress in Frankfurt. Second prize is €700 and third prize is €300.

The 2020 prize will be awarded to the winning essay on the topic:

“Being a person with a rheumatic or musculoskeletal disease (RMD) – How my voluntary work benefits me”

The EULAR Edgar Stene Prize 2020 competition is open to people 18 years and over who are living with a rheumatic and musculoskeletal (RMD) disease.…

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10th Annual ARMA Lecture 2019

No Health Without Mental Health: Why mental health is all of our business
by Brendon Stubbs

20 November 2019

Our annual lecture 2019 explored the links between MSK and mental health, the implications for how we commission and design services and how we work with individual patients. Everyone has a role to play because mental health is all of our business. Brendon Stubbs is Head of Physiotherapy, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation trust and NIHR Clinical Lecturer, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London.…

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Welcome to the National Axial Spondyloarthrititis Society

by Jenny Brodie, Senior Communications & Brand Officer, NASS

Today (01/11/2019) we re-launch our charity as the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society.

For 43 years the NASS has supported people affected by ankylosing spondylitis. Rheumatologists can now diagnose people using MRI before the disease causes bone changes so treatment can start a lot earlier. They now use the term axial spondyloarthritis (axial SpA), which includes ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

This summer our members voted unanimously in favour of changing our name to reflect these changes.…

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We must give future generations the gift of healthy ageing

Guest blog by Dr Alison Giles, Associate Director for Healthy Ageing, Centre for Ageing Better and Public Health England; and Elaine Rashbrook, Consultant Specialist, Life Course, Public Health England.

In October this year, Public Health England (PHE), together with the Centre for Ageing Better (CfAB) launched the Consensus Statement on Healthy Ageing.  Over 70 organisations, including ARMA, have signed up and pledged to take action on the five principles set out in the Statement.

The average age at which people report a health condition or disability that interferes with daily life is just 62. …

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Discounts for the PCRMM Annual Conference

Primary Care Rheumatology & Musculoskeletal Medicine Society Annual Conference

14-16 November 2019
Park Inn Hotel, York

An educational programme of lectures and workshops for GPs, trainees and other members of the practice team to help develop core skills in musculoskeletal care.

Lectures:

Primary Care Networks – Dr Raj Patel, Deputy National Medical Director of Primary Care for NHS England
Osteoarthritis, what’s new and what’s coming? Professor Philip Conaghan, Director of the Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine & Professor of Musculoskeletal Medicine at the University of Leeds
Temporal arteritis and PMR – Dr Sarah Mackie, Associate Clinical Professor in Vascular Rheumatology at the University of Leeds, and Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: Not rare, just rarely diagnosed– Dr Emma Reinhold, RCGP Clinical Champion for the Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes

Workshops:

  • Joint Injections – using models
  • Core Skills
  • Podiatry
  • Osteoporosis
  • Keele Pain Recorder App and Opioid Withdrawal
  • Ultrasound
  • Promoting improved services for IAPT for Long Term Conditions
  • National Institute for Health Research
  • Health Policy
  • Paediatric Rheumatology
  • Evidence based guidelines for managing MSK conditions

This is a friendly hands-on conference for GPs, trainees and other members of the practise team.…

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National Academy for Social Prescribing

NASP logoOctober saw the launch of a new National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP), to champion social prescribing and the work of local communities in connecting people for wellbeing. Its objectives include exploring new ways of sourcing statutory and non-statutory funding and brokering relationships between different sectors. Given the prevalence of MSK conditions, it is important that social prescribing has something to offer for MSK.

The NHS Long Term Plan includes plans to recruit over 1,000 trained social prescribing link workers by 2020 to 2021, with the aim of 900,000 people being referred to social prescribing schemes by then.…

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