MSK & Arthritis News

PHE Musculoskeletal Health and Inequalities webinar

Public Health England together with Keele University and Race Equality Foundation invite you to join us for the ‘Musculoskeletal Health and Inequalities’ webinar, on 14 November 2019, 10:00 to 11:00am.  

This webinar will discuss the findings from commissioned work looking at evidence on the differential effectiveness of PHE’s publication on return on investment interventions and what we know about their current level and patterns of provision and uptake. The webinar will then explore data sources to demonstrate these inequalities and discuss the evidence, quantitative and qualitative, on what MSK health inequalities exist for people with a Learning Disability and BAME groups.…

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National MSK Health Data Group

Versus Arthritis is hosting the 11th National MSK Health Data Group on Monday 2nd December 2019 from 9:00-13:00, followed by lunch and networking until 14:00 at The Royal Society, London, SW1Y 5AG.

The speaker programme will run in line with the event’s main ethos of creating a common forum to empower all those working on and with an interest in MSK-related data to come together and both share and hear about the data-related activities going on across the MSK community.

The programme for the day with be focused around key talking points in the MSK data community covering topics such as MSK conditions in children and young people, improving the quality of care in MSK pain medicine, and general project updates from ongoing projects such as the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis audit and the possible development of an MSK Intelligence Network.…

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National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit first report

The National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit (NEIAA) collects information on all new patients over the age of sixteen seen in specialist rheumatology departments with suspected inflammatory arthritis in England and Wales. The first report was published in October. The audit assesses seven key metrics of care provided for people with new symptoms of arthritis attending rheumatology services for the first time and makes recommendations for services, educators and commissioners.

Some of the key findings include:

  • Secondary care units take an average of 28 days to achieve first assessment, compared to a target of three weeks.
…

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SOMM Musculoskeletal core capabilities framework

The Society of Musculoskeletal Medicine (SOMM) has produced a short paper mapping capabilities within the published ‘Musculoskeletal core capabilities framework for first point of contact practitioners’* to the Society’s course provision.  

The domains identified within the framework provide categories for the capabilities that underpin first contact practice. Practitioners can be signposted to appropriate modules to facilitate the development of the advanced skills required for their MSK First Contact Practitioner (FCP) role. The Society’s programme of courses already accommodates key capabilities that learners across a range of health professions need, to be able to develop as FCPs.…

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NICE Fellowships and Scholarships

The NICE Fellows and Scholars programmes will be recruiting to their 2020 intake from Monday 2 September until Monday 28 October 2019.

Fellowships

Are you an experienced leader in health and social care? Could you build an influential network that helps us to implement our guidance? NICE fellows are experienced leaders from the field of health and social care who are our ambassadors at regional and national levels.

Learn more about NICE Fellows. Fellowship recruitment is now open until 28 October 2019.…

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Physical activity e-learning programme

Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare (HEE e-LfH) has worked with Public Health England and Sport England to launch a new physical activity e-learning programme to help healthcare professionals to champion physical activity with patients.

The e-learning programme, which is aimed at GPs, nurses and other healthcare professionals, will familiarise the learner with the UK Chief Medical Officers’ Physical Activity guidelines.

This e-learning course prepares GPs, nurses and other healthcare professionals to champion the benefits of physical activity with their patients and, in doing so, help prevent and manage a range of common physical and mental health conditions.…

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Do one thing to prioritise MSK health

We are now very close to Bone and Joint Week, which begins on 12 October. It’s a chance to remind everyone of the fundamental importance of MSK health. Today I learned that there is some evidence that people with hip and knee arthritis who don’t receive treatment may die early due to cardiovascular conditions. It makes sense. If you are in too much pain to be active your general health will suffer. Add to this the impact of depression, isolation and loneliness, all of which also affects physical health.…

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Guest blog: Social prescribing – connecting people with communities

by Simon Chapman, Deputy Director, Personalised Care Group, NHS England.

Twelve years ago I was working for a charity just north of Kings Cross. My office looked out on a derelict area of forgotten buildings and toxic land. Over the next 10 years, things gradually changed as the infrastructure was renewed: old buildings were renovated and new spaces and buildings were created for people and communities to visit, use and inhabit. Now, where there was wasteland, parents watch their children play in the Granary Square fountains.…

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ARMA Treasurer

Could you be the new treasurer of ARMA? This is an ideal opportunity for someone who wishes to gain experience of serving as a charity treasurer. As a small charity, ARMA’s finances are relatively straightforward, so you don’t necessarily need to be a highly qualified accountant. The skills and knowledge required might have been gained through financial qualifications, running a business or previous treasurer experience.

An interest in improving health services is desirable, but we do not require any previous experience of working in health services.…

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