Arthritis News & Musculoskeletal News from ARMA's Members

Core Skills in Musculoskeletal Care – face to face

Versus Arthritis is excited to announce a face-to-face training workshop: Core Skills in Musculoskeletal Care, in Glasgow.

The event will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on the 27^th September 2023. The workshop provides practical, hands-on learning and the opportunity to come together with peers to share knowledge and problem solve. The workshop is split into three main sections – low back pain and sciatica, lower limb and upper limb.

For just £165 you will receive a full day’s training from an experienced Core Skills trainer, a printed copy of the course handbook, a certificate and refreshments, and a conference buffet lunch included.…

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Research opportunities with Orthopaedic Research UK

Orthopaedic 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 their latest joint funding opportunities for the orthopaedic and MSK community please visit the joint partnership funds page on the oruk.org website.

Self-management and health inequalities

by Sue Brown, CEO ARMA

I’ve been talking a lot about self-management recently. We’ve had conflicting views through our MSK health inequalities inquiry – does it help address inequalities or exacerbate them?

It seems that it partly depends on what you mean by self-management. One of our lived experience partners said, “self-management is code for you’re on your own.” There is some suspicion amongst both people living with MSK conditions and health care professionals that this is the case, which can lead to resistance to uptake in the NHS.…

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NOA Excellence in Orthopaedics Awards 2023 finalists

The National Orthopaedic Alliance (NOA) has announced the finalists for the 2023 NOA Excellence in Orthopaedics Awards.

After carefully reviewing entries received from NOA member organisations across seven categories, the judges have selected the finalists.

Read the list of finalists here.

NOA proud to join the Community Rehabilitation Alliance

The National Orthopaedic Alliance is proud to become a member of the Community Rehabilitation Alliance.

The Community Rehabilitation Alliance, which was set up in 2019, is made up of more than 50 charities and professional bodies who are all committed to improving commissioning, planning and delivery of rehabilitation.

GAT Study grants for rheumatology repaid by sponsored walk

The Gloucestershire Arthritis Trust (GAT) has agreed to fund study grants for the Gloucestershire NHS Rheumatology Team aimed at the professional educational development of the nursing team to enable them to provide the most evidence-based and up-to-date care for patients. In the past year they have supported nurses to attend an Injection training course organised by the University of the West of England and the two-day British Society of Rheumatology conference in Manchester.

In return, the nurses are undertaking a 21-mile sponsored walk in late September with a target of £2,000 which GAT will set aside for the upcoming year’s Study Grants.…

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Social Media feedback hints and tips most welcome

We all have our “go to” social media sites, but which really work for charities in our sector?

After deciding in September 2013 on a Twitter page that could be linked to their website, now some 3,800 tweets later, GAT would really like to hear from ARMA communications specialists on the best way to improve their tweets.

Using the hashtag #makingadifference and the Twitter address @GlosArthritis, GAT’s Secretary Steve Morton can be reached at: [email protected].

Axial SpA and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

In June, in collaboration with Crohn’s & Colitis UK, and with support from the British Society for Gastroenterology (BSG), NASS launched the findings from their landscape review into diagnosing axial SpA in people living with inflammatory bowel disease.

As part of the NASS Act on axial SpA campaign, lunched in June 2021, we developed a 22-question survey in conjunction with key clinical advisors, Crohn’s & Colitis UK and BSG. There are two major themes emerging from this analysis to help ensure swift recognition, identification, and referral of suspected axial SpA: education and joint working with rheumatology.…

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Join the Peer-to-Peer Network for axial SpA

NASS has set up a Peer-to-Peer Network open to any healthcare professional working in axial SpA, whether in the NHS or private practice.

It’s an informal but structured group, providing the opportunity to link with others, share good practice and discuss ideas.

There are two ways to be involved: we’ll be monthly webinars from September, plus quarterly newsletters in Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

Find out more here, where you can also find details of our toolkit for health professionals and how to apply for the first ever Changemaker Awards.

The State of Musculoskeletal Health

The State of Musculoskeletal Health is a collection of the most up-to-date, UK-wide statistics on arthritis and other musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. This includes how many people have these conditions, the number at risk of developing these conditions, the impact of these on a person, on the health system and society, and inequalities that can be found within all the topics above. It is a resource for healthcare professionals, policy makers, public heath leads, researchers, people with these conditions, and anyone interested in MSK health.…

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