Arthritis News & Musculoskeletal News from ARMA's Members

GIRFT and elective community MSK waiting times

GIRFT is getting started on a £3.5m programme of activity working with 17 ICBs with the highest waiting lists for elective community MSK services.

The focus is on reducing waiting times for a community MSK appointment; to improve access to MSK treatment and support people back to work.

The GIRFT MSK Community Delivery Programme will see each ICB receive funding and support to develop more efficient ways of getting MSK patients treated, off waiting lists and back onto the path of employment.…

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Arthritis Action Impact Report 2023-24

Arthritis Action is pleased to share their Impact Report 2023-24, capturing their key achievements over the course of that year. Reaching more people than ever, the charity held over 120 group meetings, events and presentations with more than 9,000 people in attendance. Arthritis Action supported over 200,000 people through their website, raised awareness and reached over 2 million on social media, with a combined publicity and PR reach of 152 million.

You can read the full report here on the website [PDF].

Pain Toolkit Self-Management Week

Pain Toolkit is running a Pain & Supported Self-Management Week (PSSM) from 3rd February to 8th February 2025, supporting both patients and clinicians.

You can find out more information and many straightforward yet impactful ideas to encourage participation on the Pain Toolkit website.

Celebrating Excellence in Orthopaedics

The National Orthopaedic Alliance has announced the long-list for the 2025 NOA Excellence in Orthopaedics Awards. With over 60 entries received from NOA member organisations across four categories, the awards are set to spotlight the achievements within the alliance’s network of orthopaedic providers. The next stage of the awards process involves the judges selecting finalists for each category, with the list published in February. Winners will be announced during the NOA Annual Members’ Conference on 15 May 2025.

Read more here.

NRAS 3-Year Strategy survey

The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) is gearing up to launch its groundbreaking three-year strategy in 2025. To make sure this strategy truly reflects the needs and aspirations of those it serves, NRAS teamed up with TwoCan Associates to conduct an insightful survey.

By gathering the invaluable perspectives of people living with RA and JIA, as well as health professionals, NRAS is ensuring that its future initiatives will be impactful, inclusive, and driven by real-world experiences.

You can see the full report here.

NRAS Live: Stress Management

NRAS Live: Stress Management and Autoimmune Conditions webinar
6th Feb 2025, 7:00pm
Online – Zoom

While stress itself does not directly cause rheumatoid arthritis (RA), research suggests it can play a vital part in triggering or exacerbating people’s symptoms. According to NRAS’s own report on stress, a staggering 77% of those who took part determined stress to be a major factor when they had flares.

Join the NRAS Live session at the beginning of February for a “Time to Talk Day” special on the importance of managing your stress.…

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NRAS Stress Matters booklet

NRAS is pleased to announce the launch of their new Stress Matters booklet. This follows on from the report by the same name, which covered the results of a survey exploring patient experiences of stress in relation to their inflammatory arthritis (IA).

Stress Matters explores what the findings of the NRAS study mean for people living with IA. It also helps people to understand what stress is, how it might affect them and gives tips on how it can be managed.…

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Patient Voices in Rheumatology

27th June 2025
The University of Chicago Booth, London

This one-day conference represents novel approach from the BSR education committee to bring a different type of expert to the lectern as part of a new format that uses patient stories and perspectives to deliver a fresh narrative to clinical learning. These key areas are often neglected when it comes to continuing professional development offerings. In patient-centred care, experiences, both positive and negative, need to be integral to how we learn as healthcare professionals, and how we are inspired to build and deliver our services.…

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Collaboration produces IHP templates

The extent to which arthritis affects everyday life at school will vary from child to child and from day to day. Communication between parents, teachers and the child is very important, and building a good relationship with the school and a child’s teacher is key. This is probably the first time the teacher will have come across a child with arthritis.

A recent collaborative piece of work between CCAA, Versus Arthritis and JIA@NRAS has resulted in resources to help with this.…

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Royal Osteoporosis Society thanks

The Royal Osteoporosis Society would like to thank all ARMA members for their vital support throughout 2024.

Together, we secured a commitment from the UK government to roll out Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) across England by 2030, expanded FLS to all acute Health Boards in Wales alongside a commitment to high-quality osteoporosis care standards, and won a pledge from the Scottish government to conduct a national audit of FLSs.

We look forward to continuing to work together in 2025.