Author: Garreth

The first Versus Arthritis campaign

Monday 5 November will see the launch of the first national campaign by Versus Arthritis in their new guise and brand.

As you know well, all too often, arthritis is dismissed. It is seen as inevitable, unavoidable, insignificant and untreatable. Society shrugs it off as “just a bit of arthritis”. The new campaign aims to drive greater recognition of arthritis and related conditions across government and society.

Versus Arthritis wants to create an environment where the 10 million people with arthritis can live better – free from the pain, fatigue and isolation.…

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New arthritis survey: the Impact on Daily Life

Arthritis Action has released the findings from a nation-wide questionnaire-based study looking into the life impacts of arthritis on people of working age in Great Britain. The research, carried out by YouGov, surveyed 2074 people to reveal the effects that the condition can have on personal well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health.

It highlights the true impact of arthritis on the millions of people living with it every day, affecting all aspects of their lives, from their mental health to their family life, work, social activities, and physical health.…

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Webinar: Integrated Pain Assessment and Spinal Service

A new way of delivering MSK pain service: Integrated Pain Assessment and Spinal Service

Tuesday 20 November 12.30

The webinar will describe the Integrated Pain Assessment and Spinal Service (IPASS) which started in 2016 in Berkshire West. It will describe the previous state of pain management in Berkshire West and the reasons for coming together as a system to develop IPASS. It will cover how joint working with a strong patient focus can improve outcomes, and outline the positive outcomes post IPASS which has been recognised by the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) for a Best Practice Award in 2016.…

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New video: webinar on commissioning a community-based service

You can now see the video from our recent webinar in the Musculoskeletal Networks series:
Commissioning for Quality: Community-based Rheumatology Service

Presented by Erica Gould, Nurse Consultant at Community Rheumatology Service Modality Partnership, the webinar outlines how a community-based rheumatology service can provide effective management of rheumatology patients, with benefits both to the patients and the usage of clinical resources.

Findings from the pilot study demonstrated that patients requiring disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS) can easily be managed in a community setting.…

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Places still available for The PCR Annual Conference

The future of community MSK and social prescribing

22-24 November 2018
Park Inn Hotel, York

An educational programme of lectures and workshops for GPs, trainees and other members of the practice team to help develop core skills in musculoskeletal care.

This year we will also be running the ever-popular Joint Injection Sessions using Thiel-embalmed specimens of the hand, wrist, and the elbow.

Lectures:-

  • Physical Activity
  • Sports Medicine
  • Chronic Pain Surgery and use of Opioids
  • The new community GPSI MSK Team

Workshops:-

  • Is pain self-management your first choice, or last resort?
…

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Bone and Joint Week 2018

Bone and Joint Week 2018
#BoneJointWeek
12-20 October 2018

Musculoskeletal conditions: the elephant in the room?

Conditions of the bones, joints and muscles are a big problem in the UK; with over 17 million people living with a musculoskeletal condition, more people suffer with disability from musculoskeletal conditions than anything else.

Good health of bones, joints and muscles underpins living life well. Musculoskeletal conditions affect nearly everyone at some point in their life. They can cause pain, fatigue, restricted mobility and activities of daily living.

…

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HMSA September summary

As this newsletter goes out, the International Symposium on the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes will be under way in Ghent, Belgium. Philip Bull, HMSA Trustee and medical advisor will be there, and is one of the speakers on the patient day; and the HMSA medical advisor, Alan Hakim, will be there too.

Dr Philip Bull has been incredibly busy recently and over the past few weeks has trained over 300 GPs in Kent on the basics of recognising and managing hypermobility syndromes. Of course there are still 1000s of GPs we need to reach across the country, but as the saying goes ‘every little helps’ and we are really pleased that progress is being made.…

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Public Health England – Case study and report on lessons learnt

A report by Public Health England has been published in the World Health Organization’s European journal, Public Health Panorama.

“Developing partnerships and a whole-system approach for the prevention of musculoskeletal conditions in England”

Abstract: This case study reviews the experience of PHE in developing and implementing a public health approach to the prevention of and early intervention in MSK conditions. We reflect on key elements of the approach, and the essential role of galvanizing and supporting partnerships, as well as achievements and lessons learnt so far.…

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The restrictions on access to care – the impact of waiting for surgery

The BOA is nearing the end of our Centennial year and reflecting on 100 years of developments in orthopaedic surgery. While innovation in surgical techniques has dramatically improved patient care, the changing nature of healthcare delivery systems, rationing and access to care mean that many patients are still struggling with the day-to-day impact of MSK conditions.

During our Congress last week we heard powerful stories from patients on the impact of waiting for surgery. From a patient waiting for carpal tunnel release who was struggling to deal with basic daily tasks such as handling money, preparing food or getting dressed to another describing his wait for knee surgery, in huge amounts of pain with increasingly reduced mobility impacting on overall fitness and the ability to enjoy life.…

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Versus Arthritis is Working It Out at the conferences

Versus Arthritis is currently promoting their new report, “Working It Out” on the Access to Work programme at the political party conferences. At the time of writing the team have attended Liberal Democrat and Labour, and are preparing for Conservative and SNP conferences. 

The report is based on a survey of almost 1,600 people with arthritis and related conditions across the UK, which asked how their working life has been affected by their health condition, and their awareness of Access to Work and employer support.…

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