MSK & Arthritis News

Research funding awarded by Nuffield Foundation and Versus Arthritis

Nuffield and Versus Arthritis£1.94 million has been awarded by the Nuffield Foundation’s Oliver Bird Fund and Versus Arthritis to support research to improve wellbeing among people living with MSK conditions. Awards have been made to six teams across five universities.

The projects focus on recommendations for policy and practice for improving duration and quality of working lives; developing materials to support education and career pathways for young people with juvenile onset conditions; assessing the benefits of social prescribing; and evaluation of a peer mentoring programme for people experiencing economic disadvantage.…

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Booking open for Diploma in Musculoskeletal Medicine Exam

The Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK is now open to applications from doctors and allied health professionals who wish to take the Diploma in Musculoskeletal Medicine examination, that sets the standard for MSK knowledge across the entire breadth of community care.

This Diploma will support evidencing competency as a doctor or allied health professional working towards advanced practice roles (including first contact practitioner and advanced practitioners in primary care) in a range of community settings.

Passing the examination also qualifies candidates to apply for Diplomate Membership of the Faculty.…

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Versus Arthritis Let’s Move for Surgery

Versus Arthritis has launched their brand new Let’s Move for Surgery physical activity resources for people with arthritis waiting for or recovering from joint replacement surgery. The Surgery Toolkit includes a series of tailor-made, follow-along exercise videos for hip, shoulder and knee, as well as full body workouts to help maintain overall fitness. It also features personal stories and advice from those living with arthritis who have been through or are awaiting joint replacement surgery, as well as tips on keeping active from a physiotherapist.…

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Welsh Government publishes NHS Workforce Implementation Plan

workforce planThe National Workforce Implementation Plan outlines a series of practical actions that will act as enablers to accelerate the ten-year Workforce Strategy published in 2020. The Plan highlights a number of actions that need to progress immediately to address some of the most urgent pressures within the NHS now. Plans for specific professions and services like nursing, dentistry, or pharmacy will be published over the next two years.

Read the National workforce implementation plan on the www.gov.wales website.

New Community MSK Framework

An improvement framework to reduce community musculoskeletal waits while delivering best outcomes and experience

10 January 2023

A new improvement framework has just been published by NHS England.

It will support integrated care systems (ICSs) to reduce commissioned community MSK waiting times while delivering best outcomes and experience for patients. It includes defining principles, recommended actions across primary, community and secondary care and further resources.

Read the official publication here.

New SMILE Module – ‘How to get the best from your consultation’

It’s no secret that the NHS is on its knees and struggling to cope with many pressures, some linked to the pandemic such as backlogs, some to other issues such as workforce shortages and inability to discharge patients from hospital. As a consequence, there are changes happening to delivery of outpatient care and it’s essential that those living with a long-term condition learn to manage their disease/s as well as possible and make the most of the very small amount of time in a year that might be spent with a rheumatology team.…

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Research opportunities with ORUK

ORUK logoOrthopaedic Research UK aims to fill the most important gaps in research funding in bone, joint and muscle well-being. They fund innovative research projects in the UK that expand knowledge, improve patient outcomes and pioneer new forms of diagnosis and treatment. 

To find out more about ORUK’s latest joint funding opportunities for the MSK community please visit the Joint Partnership Funds page on the oruk.org website.

Arthritis Action launches podcast for people living with arthritis

Arthritis Action has launched the first series of its Arthritis Action podcast. The podcast covers a wide range of topics to help people living with arthritis, and those caring for them. In each episode, we will talk to members of the charity, various experts and healthcare professionals.

Each episode lasts thirty minutes, with new episodes released every two weeks.  The episodes already available cover the subjects of: work and arthritis, planning and pacing, exercise and activity, communication, and everyday life with arthritis. …

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Championing MSK in public health

ARMA CEOVery early in my time as CEO of ARMA I met Nuzhat Ali, who led on MSK public health at what was then Public Health England. Nuzhat is a tireless champion of the importance of MSK health and its central role in public health. “There’s no health without MSK health” she told the ARMA AGM a few years ago.

Steve Brine MP, Chair of the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee, was recently recently quoted as saying: “If we don’t prevent ill health in this country better than we are, then the NHS in itself is not sustainable and that is a terrifying situation.”…

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