Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance
Influencing policy and care together for best lifelong musculoskeletal health
by Sue Brown, CEO ARMA
In the last few weeks we have had two new organisations join ARMA – welcome to Lupus UK and National Spine Network. As I write this, I have just received another inquiry about membership so that may soon be three new members.
This is a good time for ARMA’s membership to be growing. I’m writing in the run up to the general election. The airwaves are filled with parties bidding for your vote, making wild claims and undeliverable promises.…
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by Noha Al-Afifi, Interim CEO, Arthritis Action
There’s no doubt from the ARMA Act Now report that the current tough economic environment is exacerbating inequalities in healthcare provision and access. With the scale of the task, it could be easy to get overwhelmed by the challenge. As important is that the report urges all to recognise the wider context and environment in which healthcare sits and to encourage small scale, localised action plans.
Helping both our members and the wider public to take control of their arthritis has inevitably led us to provide resources beyond health advice.…
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The National Orthopaedic Alliance has launched a strategy and workplan for 2024/25. The newly launched strategy emphasises the role orthopaedics plays in delivering high quality patient care, recognising and celebrating the contributions of orthopaedic professionals, and driving efficiency and productivity enhancements within the field.
“With a general election on the horizon, it’s important that we highlight the invaluable role orthopaedics plays in fostering a healthy and productive population, as well as deploying our collective, multidisciplinary expertise to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing orthopaedics today” said Alice Fabre, NOA Interim Programme Director.…
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Applications are now open for the MFSEM Part 1 Examination.
The MFSEM Part 1 & 2 are the benchmark examinations for those practicing in Sport and Exercise Medicine, and sets the excellent standards for providing clinical care within the specialty.
This examination is the first of two parts which, upon successful completion, currently provides members a route to Membership of the Faculty.
Exam date: 26th September 2024
Eligibility
Candidates must hold a medical qualification that is acceptable to the UK General Medical Council for Full or Provisional Registration or to the Medical Council in Ireland for Full or Temporary Registration.…
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Orthopaedic Research UK (ORUK) and the National Institute of for Health and Care Research (NIHR) are co- hosting an online MSK Innovation Forum on 19th July 2024, that will bring together clinicians, engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs to discuss the MSK innovation challenge.
During the forum the NIHR will present the results of a horizon scan identifying emerging MSK medical and digital health and care technologies from around the world. The event will also feature innovation case studies and the opportunity to share best practices and discuss challenges facing MSK innovators.…
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ARMA is delighted to welcome our two newest members – the National Spine Network and Lupus UK!
The National Spine Network is an active multi-professional collaboration dedicated to the implementation of the best evidence for the management of spinal disorders through the National Back and Radicular Pain Pathway. The strength of the network lies with its members, learning from each other’s vast cumulative knowledge and experience to promote excellence in clinical care.
LUPUS UK is the only national registered charity supporting people with lupus and assisting those approaching diagnosis.…
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The Society of Musculoskeletal Medicine’s (SOMM’s) MSc Musculoskeletal Medicine, validated by Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh, is now closed, and the programme will be finishing on 31 August this year.
SOMM is very pleased to announce that its modules have now been credit-rated by QMU at master’s level. The ‘Foundation in Musculoskeletal Medicine’ module has been credit-rated for 60 master’s level credits and the advanced modules, the ‘Theory and Practice of Injection Therapy’, ‘Advancing Practice in Musculoskeletal Medicine’ and ‘Preparation for Teaching Musculoskeletal Medicine’ have each been credit rated at 20 master’s level credits.…
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National Voices has published a new report, People’s experiences of diagnosis, which brings together insights from people with lived experience and members on the entire process of diagnosis – from trying to get an appointment for a diagnostic referral, to undergoing tests, and experiences post-diagnosis.
The report covers the themes of challenges in diagnosis, inequalities in diagnosis, and new innovation in diagnosis, before concluding with nine recommendations for improving patient experience of diagnosis.
These nine recommendations include:
You can read the full report here (pcdn.co)…
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ORUK is hosting the first in a series of educational workshops covering the effective application of AI to MSK health. The online workshop AI ethics, consent and data fairness, which is co-sponsored by Information Governance Services, will take place from 9-11am on Friday 5th July. It will cover a range of ethical issues relevant to the use of AI in treatment and research in both the context of musculoskeletal health in particular, and healthcare in general.
The event is free, but participants must register in advance.…
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The Royal Osteoporosis Society would like to extend a huge thank you to all their colleagues across ARMA who have supported the Better Bones campaign for universal, quality Fracture Liaison Services (FLS).
The ROS is pleased to share that the Conservative government has recently committed to expand the use of FLS to achieve 100% coverage by 2030. This commitment was reaffirmed in the Conservative Party manifesto (page 42). The Labour party has matched this and Wes Streeting has stated that one of his first acts in government would be to task NHS England with developing a ‘rollout plan’, so every part of the country has access to FLS.…
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