Author: Garreth

CEO update: Patients with chronic pain deserve nothing less

by Sue Brown, CEO ARMA

I write this reflecting on my day yesterday, which was unexpectedly dominated by discussions on pain. Pain is, of course, something we all talk about a fair bit in the MSK health world, as it’s one of the shared factors that cuts across all MSK conditions. I’m increasingly realising it is something we don’t always deal with particularly well.

My day yesterday began with reading New Scientist on the train, including an article about UK doctors’ concerns that we will follow the US into an opioid crisis.…

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Arthur’s Place: introducing “Project Mum”

Arthur’s Place has created and launched “Project Mum” a support kit for young women with arthritis and related conditions, those who are considering becoming mothers in future, women who are currently pregnant and new mums. There will be advice for Dads-to-be and partners too, with or without arthritis.

Project Mum includes invaluable advice from health professionals, including consultant rheumatologists, nurse specialists, midwives, a physiotherapist, occupational therapist and three clinical psychologists. Arthur’s Place is also tremendously proud to include personal shared tips and advice from more experienced mums at Arthur’s Social: the Facebook community.…

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Axial SpA Referral Template launch

NASS was delighted to launch the NASS Allies referral template, in conjunction with the Institute of Osteopathy and Royal College of Chiropractors, at the Primary Care and Public Health Conference on 15 and 16 May. The template was developed to help chiropractors and osteopaths in recommending referral for patients with suspected inflammatory back pain to rheumatology.

The template has been endorsed by the Royal College of GPs and Chartered Society for Physiotherapy. NASS is grateful to both the Institute of Osteopathy and Royal College of Chiropractors for their continued collaboration and wonderfully patient-centred approach.…

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EULAR survey patient-reported outcomes in young patients

Exploring the perspectives of young patients with chronic, inflammatory arthritis on patient-reported outcome measures

Having completed Phase 1 of the YoungPro project (focus groups in four different European countries with young people with inflammatory arthritis and the first Task Force meeting), EULAR has developed a survey to be spread across Europe to gather additional information around this topic.

The European League Against Rheumatism Task Force aims to incorporate the perspective of young people with inflammatory arthritis in patient reported outcomes (PROs).…

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A spending review for wellbeing? An idea whose time has come

Guest blog by Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy, President of the Association of Directors of Public Health

To its great credit, New Zealand has become the first country in the world to produce a “wellbeing budget” – a commitment to prioritise population wellbeing as the main mission of the government. A similar philosophy was adopted in Wales in 2015, with the Well-being of Future Generations Act requiring public bodies to think about the long-term impact of their policies on both people and places.…

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Adapted Homes, Empowered Lives report

On 8 May, Versus Arthritis published a new policy report looking at the impact of home aids and adaptations for people with arthritis, and the barriers that people face when trying to access them. Read the full report here, which includes powerful stories from people with arthritis who benefit from aids and adaptations.

We found that aids and adaptations – from perching stools and grabbing tools, to grab rails and stair lifts – can help people with arthritis, and related conditions such as back pain, achieve a better quality of life and maintain their independence in the home.…

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iO’s Osteopathy For Health

Harnessing the power of social media to promote public health

The Institute of Osteopathy (iO) has launched a new community Facebook page ‘Osteopathy for Health’ with the aim to provide the public with useful health advice and tips to support positive lifestyle behaviours.

The iO first launched ‘Osteopathy for Health’ as web-based information, supported by a series of advice leaflets that could be distributed by osteopaths and other healthcare practitioners. The project has now evolved to utilise the power of social media to spread health and lifestyle messages on exercise, diet, getting older, sleep, and mental health on a dedicated Facebook page ‘Osteopathy for Health’.…

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Dietitians Week: What Dietitians Do

This week (3-7 June) is Dietitians Week, and the British Dietetic Association and its members are using the week to promote the breadth and depth of dietetic practice using the tagline “What Dietitians Do”. Dietitians will be sharing their own personal experiences and highlighting some of the lesser known aspects of the profession, as well as taking part in activities such as sharing their favourite recipes and tagging in other healthcare professionals or patients who are real champions for the profession.…

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Fit For the Future: a Vision for General Practice

The Royal College of GPs (RCGP) has published a vision for general practice for 2030. It sees a very different place for general practice from the current model, with increased multidisciplinary working and a greater focus on prevention and well-being. This was developed with the involvement of patients, GPs and other stakeholders.

This is a response to the changing nature of health needs with more people presenting with complex and multiple conditions. The current primary care workforce is stretched and the numbers of GPs per 1,000 of population have declined by 5% in the last ten years.…

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