For some time now NRAS and their Health Professional Medical Advisor in this field, Dr. Kanta Kumar, (Lecturer at the University of Birmingham), have wanted to be able to provide a tailored service and support for the UK South Asian population. One of NRAS’s long term strategic aims is to make our services more visible, relevant and accessible to those who need them most, particularly those communities who, for reasons of language, culture and/or health literacy skills may be less able to negotiate about their healthcare needs or successfully navigate the health system.…
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Author: Garreth
National Patient Champion’s views on ending shielding
After more than four months shielding, NRAS founder and National Patient Champion Ailsa Bosworth MBE has shared her thoughts on shielding coming to an end.
You can watch Ailsa’s video of her personal reflections on the lockdown experience and coming out of shielding on the NRAS YouTube channel.
The Good Boost Home App
Responding to the pandemic with co-design to create digital solutions.
Good Boost is a social enterprise which transforms public swimming pools into therapeutic spaces for people living with MSK conditions. We create individually-tailored aquatic rehabilitation programmes using AI-powered software on waterproof tablets. We’ve been developing rehabilitation technology for the last 5 years since starting up as a community research project in Oxford, UK.
“We’re working to make sure we continue supporting people living with MSK conditions while minimising risk of transmission” Ben Wilkins, CEO.…
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Guest blog: Dancing on the Rusty Brown Carpet
by Victoria Wells, a personal reflection about a new play with a theme of dancing for health – how a work of theatrical art relates to my experience of joint replacement surgery, pre-operative rehab, post-op rehabilitation and a lifetime of dancing.
On 3 October 2020, a play by Fiona Hamilton will be screened for the first time.
My experience contributed to one of its main characters.
As a child I enjoyed dancing and getting lost in the rhythm. I was born with hip dysplasia that was not diagnosed until mid-childhood and, as a result, I walked with constant pain.…
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Pain in the …Big toe
by Anthony Maher. BSc Hons, MSc, FCPodS, Clinical Lead Consultant Podiatric Surgeon, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
A lot of the time we pay little attention to our feet, that is until something goes wrong. Most of us, luckily, will only occasionally experience foot pain sometime in our life, but for some that pain can be significant, causing pain when walking, limiting choice of footwear and even reducing activity or increasing the risk of falls.
The big toe joint or 1st metatarso-phalangeal joint is one of the most common areas of the foot to become painful (Gilheany, Landorf, & Robinson, 2008; Maher & Kilmartin, 2011).…
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ESCAPE-pain: using education and exercise to support people with chronic joint pain
Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare (HEE e-LfH) has worked with ESCAPE-pain and the Health Innovation Network to develop two e-learning resources, aimed at helping healthcare professionals and exercise instructors understand the principles behind the ESCAPE-pain programme – facilitating group education and exercise sessions for people living with chronic joint pain and learning how the programme may be implemented in their organisation.
What is the ESCAPE-pain programme?
ESCAPE-pain is an evidence-based and cost-effective group rehabilitation programme for people with chronic joint pain.…
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Gym Group Charity of the month
ARMA is pleased to have been made charity of the month by Gym Group for September. Everyone joining Gym Group during this month will be invited to make a donation to ARMA to support our work on improving services for people with MSK conditions.
Of course, you don’t need to join Gym Group to make a donation to ARMA – you can also become a supporter.
Read about the new supporter scheme.
Lived experience, equality and prevention
Whatever anyone may claim, the NHS has been, and still is, completely overwhelmed by the impact of Covid-19. Across the board MSK services are struggling. Meeting the targets of 90% elective procedures and 100% of outpatient appointments by October is not easy. Lots of things will be required – efficient pathways, appropriate use of digital, increases in support for self-management. Three things I feel must be included are lived experience, a focus on equality and prevention.
I’ve been privileged to be part of the Lived Experience Group which informs all aspects of NHS England work on MSK services post-Covid.…
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The Doctor Will Zoom You Now
The Doctor Will Zoom You Now was a rapid, qualitative research study designed to understand the patient experience of remote and virtual consultations. The report makes recommendations for both patients and healthcare professionals for getting the most out of a remote healthcare experience.
Remote consultations and the use of technology offer some great opportunities to make significant improvements to general practice, hospital outpatient and community appointments, but making the most of this opportunity means understanding the patient experience. The project was led in partnership with Traverse, National Voices and Healthwatch England.…
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TWEETCHAT Power to the people – Coproducing MSK
TWEETCHAT Power to the people
#MSKCoPro
21 Sept 2020 7-8pm
To enable lifelong MSK health within all communities, we must coproduce MSK services with people with relevant lived experience. MSK leads in NHSE/I are coproducing the National Musculoskeletal Strategy with an MSK Lived Experience Group (MSK LEG).
Join @WeAreARMA and the MSK LEG members for a TweetChat all things MSK in these COVID times.