Author: Garreth

Guest blog: Narrowing the gap

Bola Owolabiby Bola Owolabi, Director, National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme

Health inequalities are unfair and avoidable differences in health across the population, and between different groups within society. They arise because of the conditions in which we are born, grow, live, work and age. These conditions influence how we think, feel and act and can impact both our physical and mental health and wellbeing.

This #BoneJointWeek I am delighted to see the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance’s commitment to taking action to narrow musculoskeletal health inequalities, particularly with regards to listening to the experiences of underserved communities and working in partnership to improve care.…

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Thinking wider about workforce

I saw a tweet this morning from a local provider partnership seeking exercise instructors willing to train in falls management. The challenge of workforce is ever present in the NHS right now. I think we need to think more creatively and use the breadth of the workforce we have if we are ever to deliver on our ambition to improve the MSK health of the population and ensure excellent services for those who need them.

Community MSK is the backbone of MSK.…

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NASS seeks partner to co-design integrated pilot

NASS invites expressions of interest to co-design and test an Integrated Pilot as part of the implementation of our Gold Standard Time to Diagnosis for axial SpA.

Do you want to be at the forefront of ending the delay to diagnosis in axial SpA?

In June 2021, the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society (NASS) published a route map to achieve a Gold Standard Time to Diagnosis of one year through the Act on Axial SpA campaign. The route map proposes four key interventions for achieving this goal.…

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Rheumatoid Arthritis Mela event for the South Asian community

Join NRAS on 13 October 2022, 9:30am-4:00pm, at Leicester Racecourse for the Rheumatoid Arthritis Mela event for the South Asian community.

The event is open to anyone who has rheumatoid arthritis, as well as their family members, friends or carers. You’ll have an opportunity to talk to others with the condition, hear from our guest speakers and health professionals in attendance. Free lunch will be provided also.

For more information visit the event page on the NRAS website.

NRAS Champions’ Awards and Gala dinner

NRAS will be holding their 21st Anniversary Gala Dinner and awards ceremony in Windsor at the Castle Hotel on 9 September 2022.

This sold out event marks a significant milestone in the history of the charity. The night will be filled with music, food and dancing, featuring music from a live band: !daft! There will also be a raffle and an auction with fantastic prizes.

NRAS has also decided to combine this special event with the NRAS Champions’ Awards. To read about the winners and their work, open the Gala dinner press release.

Goodbye and good luck to Nita

Nita Parmar has led ARMA’s policy and communications work for over 6 years. It is Nita who has been responsible for compiling this newsletter. In addition to the newsletter Nita has chaired the regular policy and communications meetings and pulled together a consensus on a variety of policy positions from mental health to chronic pain. Nita put ARMA on the twitter map and grew our followers to over 6,500. She has developed and innovated our work on Bone and Joint Week, increasing our engagement and reach with each successive year.…

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NRAS CEO on the Health Without Borders podcast

Clare Jacklin, National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society CEO, made an appearance on the Health Without Borders podcast this week speaking about RA to an international audience, predominantly in the US.

In this episode, Clare touched on how the US is working to increase access to the new Evusheld scheme, how NRAS has grown to become the nation’s leading patient-led organisation focusing on RA, and much more.

Listen to the podcast here.

New research call: Accelerating diagnosis and treatment

Versus Arthritis wants to bring about more accurate and faster diagnosis and more timely, effective and targeted treatments, tailored to individuals, taking into consideration not just their genes but also the environment they live in.

The Better Lives Today, Better Lives Tomorrow research strategy 2022-2026 focuses Versus Arthritis investment and influence on four priority areas over the next four years. It is striving to bring ground-breaking scientific discoveries to people with arthritis at pace and with precision. 

This call for applications for research funding centres on two priority areas: 

  • Early detection and prevention: spotting the biological signatures of arthritis early to maximise the opportunities for timely intervention and preventing it from getting worse. 
…

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New research call: Fatigue

Versus Arthritis has partnered with the Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research to increase the evidence around fatigue in musculoskeletal conditions.

Versus Arthritis is seeking applications for a scoping review on ways to measure, assess and treat the chronic fatigue associated with musculoskeletal conditions. This can include:

  • the amount of evidence in each area
  • the quality of evidence available
  • where there are substantial gaps in current knowledge
  • the needs of people living with chronic fatigue
  • future research priorities based on the information gathered

Reviews should include scientific and clinical evidence, as well as meaningful inclusion of the needs of people living with chronic fatigue.…

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