MSK & Arthritis News

Societal Impact of Pain framing paper and webinar

With the help of their partners and endorsers, Pain Alliance Europe has created a Framing Paper and Joint Statement: policy documents that analyse the existing initiatives and remaining gaps in policy actions to tackle the impact of pain on societies, economies and individuals.

This document was discussed with the participants in attendance to the first webinar of the Thematic Network on the Societal Impact of Pain (SIP), hosted by the European Commission, which took place 25 June 2018. The webinar can be watched again here.…

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Petition for access to specialist lupus care

The Pembrokeshire Lupus Support Group and LUPUS UK are petitioning the Secretary of State for Health at the Welsh Assembly Government to remove the ‘gate keeper principle’ from their healthcare provision.

Patients with lupus and other rare autoimmune illnesses in Wales are being denied the right to access expertise that could really benefit them in the long term.

You can see more about the problem, read the petition and sign it here.

Big Ideas for Better Health Awards

Incisive Health is supporting AbbVie with the organisation of their Big Ideas for Better Health Awards, which are designed for healthcare professionals and patient groups. They present an opportunity to recognise, celebrate and share exceptional examples of improvements and innovation that demonstrate clear benefit to the lives of patients.

The Awards are free to enter and are open to healthcare organisations and patient groups in the UK to submit examples of work in three categories:

  • Delivering care closer to home
  • Supporting self-management and self-care
  • Driving prevention and early intervention

The winner of each award receives a £3,000 bursary to extend their project or pilot new ideas for the benefit of patients and/or the NHS.…

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BMAS Acupuncture for Osteoarthritis course

BMAS have scheduled a one-day course on acupuncture as a treatment for osteoarthritis, focussing on the hip, knee and other large joints. The course is comprised of lectures, demonstrations and practical sessions to refresh existing skills to improve your expertise in this field.

Thursday 27 September 2018

Venue: NCVO, London N1 9RL
Price from £155
Lecturer: Dr Mike Cummings

This course is for regulated health professionals who use acupuncture in their practice and would like to revise or improve their knowledge and skills in the management of patients with osteoarthritis.…

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Parkrun update

Last month’s newsletter featured the partnership between parkrun and the RCGP. Since that newsletter came out we have been in contact with one of the parkrun ambassadors for people with arthritis and MSK conditions.

One of the things they do to make parkrun more accessible to that group is to run a closed Facebook group where people can share advice, tips, opinions and stories. So, if you know someone who would like a free weekly 5K walk or run, maybe suggest they join the group.

Launch of EULAR`s Edgar Stene Prize Competition 2019

On behalf of Nele Caeyers, Chair of the EULAR Standing Committee of People with Arthritis/Rheumatism in Europe (PARE); Dieter Wiek, EULAR Vice President, representing PARE; and Polina Pchelnikova, Working Group leader of the Edgar Stene Prize; the EULAR secretariat is delighted to announce the call for entries for the Edgar Stene Prize Competition 2019.

People with rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders are invited to write about their personal experiences submitting essays on the topic of:

“My ideal employer – Work without barriers for people with RMDs”

Please find more information in the attached documents [both PDFs]:

Please take a careful look at the deadlines and entry rules mentioned in the respective documents.…

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Are we serious about reducing health inequalities?

Guest blog by Ms. Nuzhat Ali, National MSK Lead, Public Health England

Health inequalities are avoidable, unjust differences in people’s health that are persistent and difficult to shift, until and unless we actively focus on them as a society and a whole system.

People living in the most deprived areas in England can expect to spend nearly 20 fewer years in good health compared with those in the least deprived areas. The trajectory and the scale of the inequity worry me for at least three reasons – it is:

  • A societal injustice, one that has serious consequences for us all in many ways
  • A factor in slowing down life expectancy and healthy life expectancy
  • Increasing demand for health care which equates to increasing costs

Health is dependent on so much more than healthcare.  …

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MSK services survey – Please let us know what is happening locally

As part of our Clinical Networks Project, ARMA wants to find out what is happening to improve MSK services across England in order to see how we can best target our support for improvements. Please let us know what is happening in your area by completing this short questionnaire, which should take only five minutes to complete. The information is anonymous and we won’t name individual CCGs or STPs.

The report on the findings will give a national picture of what is happening and help all those working to improve services better target their work.…

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New framework launched to support early access for musculoskeletal conditions

Rapid access to the right care and supporting patients to be fully involved in their care is at the heart of a new capabilities framework launched today (31/07/2018) by NHS England, Health Education England, Public Health England, Skills for Health and the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA). The Musculoskeletal Core Capabilities Framework, aimed at practitioners who will be the first point of contact for people with musculoskeletal conditions, sets out to support improved access to care and ensure quality outcomes for patients.…

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Delay to diagnosis in musculoskeletal disease

Introduction

Across a range of MSK conditions there is evidence of significant delays to diagnosis which result in avoidable morbidity and mortality. GPs have a critical role to play in reducing time to diagnosis. This article looks at the delays, their impact, and the resources available to GPs to support their referral decisions. Our simple message is #ThinkRheum.

Delay to diagnosis

Significant delay from symptom onset to diagnosis has been seen across a range of MSK conditions: an average of 6.4 yeas in Lupus [1], 8.5 years in axial spondyloarthrtis (axial SpA) [2] and an estimated 10 years in Ehlers-Danos syndromes (EDS).…

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