MSK & Arthritis News

Welsh Government MSK consultation

Open Consultation

Arthritis and long-term musculoskeletal conditions in adults

Consultation ends 30 July 2021

The Welsh Government has released a consultation document: Arthritis and Long-term Musculoskeletal Conditions in adults. This guidance is currently being developed to replace the Welsh Government’s Service Development and Commissioning Directives for Arthritis and Chronic Musculoskeletal Conditions [2006].

The new consultation seeks views on the proposed direction of the draft guidance and closes on 30 July 2021.

Please see the links below to the consultation documents:

The document provides definitive models of access and advises health boards on designing, planning and managing person-centred services for adults living with arthritis and long-term musculoskeletal conditions.…

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PSA Annual Conference – save the date

The Psoriasis Association’s Annual Conference will take place on Saturday 19 June 2021.

The decision has been made to hold it online via Zoom, and it will be free to attend.
The Conference’s keynote speaker has been confirmed as Catherine Smith, Consultant Dermatologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and a leading expert in psoriasis.

Details of how to register and a full agenda will be announced shortly – save the date in your calendar!

Conference teaser

Green shoots

As I write this, the sun outside my window is shining and swathes of blue and yellow crocuses bloom in the local parks. As if that were not enough to lift the spirits, last night saw the launch of NHS England’s Best MSK Health programme. ARMA has worked for many years to raise the profile of MSK health. We have made some progress, often in very specific areas, such as the introduction of First Contact MSK Practitioners a few years ago.…

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#BestMSKHealth programme launch

NHS England has launched a new programme with the aim of sustaining the delivery of evidence-informed, personalised, high-quality integrated healthcare of value to all. This new initiative, part of the Pathways for Better Health Programme, significantly increases the resource to support MSK service delivery.

The programme covers the breadth of MSK including orthopaedics, rheumatology and pain, spanning primary secondary and community services. You can watch the launch event here.

The programme has ten workstreams, each led by a relevant clinical specialist:

  • Diagnostics
  • Orthopaedics
  • Rheumatology
  • Primary and Community MSK Provision
  • Spinal Services
  • Falls, Fragility Fractures and Osteoporosis
  • Data, Validation and Coding
  • Communications and Developing MSK Networks
  • Supporting those with Long Term MSK Conditions
  • Outpatients

There is the intention to ensure that the programme is coproduced involving the range of stakeholders including people with lived experience and patient organisations.…

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Living with a stranger – ‘The Uninvited Guest’ in the time of COVID

Guest blog by Emily Earle

Emily’s 12 year old daughter was diagnosed with JIA in 2010 at the age of 2. Emily now volunteers for the charity ‘CCAA – Kids with Arthritis’ running their local area network of support groups. CCAA offers support to children with JIA and their families across England and Wales.

Life with a child who has a medical condition can be challenging at any time. Families usually manage because we have to. Quite simply, we do not get the choice to say: ‘No thanks!…

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New video: How to self-examine for tender and swollen joints in rheumatoid arthritis

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the delivery of healthcare services, creating challenges for healthcare professionals and people living with musculoskeletal conditions. Patients are increasingly required to monitor their own disease activity and report on their condition during remote or virtual consultations.

To address this, the Centre for Epidemiology Versus Arthritis has been working on the REmote MOnitoring of Rheumatoid Arthritis (REMORA) study. REMORA is a smartphone app study that encourages people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to monitor and record their daily symptoms.…

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Free sport and exercise medicine seminars

Bookings are now open for an upcoming series of free sport and exercise medicine seminars delivered by the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine and the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine that will explore current issues relevant to all SEM practitioners.

Running every Thursday evening in April, the sessions will feature presentations from leading clinicians and academics as well as those with lived experience. Exploring the importance of physical activity in areas like COVID-19 recovery and mental health, these seminars will deliver engaging, informative content that will help improve your practice.…

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Rheumatology nursing webinar 2021

Rheumatology nursing webinar

Re-focusing on rheumatology nurse development

16 Mar 2021
18:30 – 20:30 online

The RCN Rheumatology forum is proud to present the programme for the March 2021 webinar. Julie Begum, RCN Rheumatology Forum chair will be joined by Professor Sarah Ryan, Kay Hughes and Rachel Cowey. The speakers will be considering three topical issues as they explore biologics, blood test results and the importance of professional development for rheumatology nurses.

By attending this session attendees will be able to:

  • understand the importance of continued professional development to improve professional capabilities and apply theory to clinical practice
  • consider the changing landscape of biologic therapy and the impact of this on medication selection and patient care
  • identify normal values in blood tests used in rheumatology.
…

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White Paper on NHS Reform

Policy Paper

Integration and innovation: Working together to improve health and social care for all

Updated 11 February 2021

The Government published a white paper, “Integration and innovation: Working together to improve health and social care for all” on 11 February 2021. This sets out proposals for changes in legislation with the aim of enabling integration within the NHS in England and between the NHS, local government and other health system partners. The proposals are grouped under four themes: working together and supporting integration; stripping out needless bureaucracy; enhancing public confidence and accountability; and additional proposals to support social care, public health, and quality and safety.…

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