Author: Garreth

Guest Blog: Active Hospitals – OUH SEM Pilot

The Oxford University Hospitals Foundation Trust Pilot

By Dr Christopher Speers, Sport and Exercise Medicine Consultant Oxford University Hospitals Foundation Trust

Physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide1 and it contributes significantly to the worldwide burden of non-communicable disease2, 3. Hospitals, historically, have been dominated by a culture of rest4. Promoting rest contradicts the evidence which clearly demonstrates that disease outcomes are better for moving more and that post hospital syndrome, or hospital deconditioning, leads to increased risk and adverse outcomes5, 6.…

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Webinar: musculoskeletal foot and ankle pain

Register for a new webinar

The next ARMA webinar is on ‘Addressing the burden of rheumatic and musculoskeletal foot and ankle pain.’

You can sign-up for free to this NHS England and ARMA webinar, to watch live or get a link to replay the recording when it suits your schedule.

Although foot and ankle pain affects an estimated 20% of the general population and this figure rises to around 90% in people with rheumatoid arthritis, they are frequently trivialised and overlooked.…

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Save Our Pools – Guest Blog

By Jill Hamilton, Professional Engagement Manager, National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society

Exercise is the single most important thing that anyone with axial SpA (AS) can do to self-manage their condition. It’s not always possible though; if someone is experiencing a flare or has severe physical disability as a result of their condition then exercising on land can be pretty much impossible. Exercising in water however is a lot easier; the warmth and the buoyancy make stretches more effective, it’s less painful, it’s easier to stay upright because the effect of gravity is less, it requires less physical effort and afterwards you usually have a really good night’s sleep!…

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Evidence into Practice Challenge 2019

Evidence into Practice – Finding the next big idea

Do you have an evidence-based idea to change clinical practice? Apply to the Evidence into Practice Challenge, a call to healthcare professionals and researchers in the West of England.

Evidence-based ideas are sought for initiatives or projects to improve healthcare. The West of England AHSN will work closely with chosen applicants and recompense time for activity that supports the adoption and spread of the initiative.

Karen Luyt, a neonatologist at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, responded to the first call five years ago.…

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Autoimmune Diseases Training Day

King’s Health Partners Inter-Disciplinary Autoimmune Diseases Training Day
13 April 2019
Presented by Dr. James Galloway, Christian Pankhurst, Matthew Collison & Rebecca Roopnarine.

This free study day is open to all medical, nursing and AHP staff involved in managing patients with autoimmune conditions and will focus on the identification and management of musculoskeletal complications.

For more details and the programme for the day, please visit the event page.

Keywing – Design Council Spark Award winner

New product the Keywing is opening the door for millions to use keys with ease, while restoring independence.

Winner of the Design Council Spark Award and a £65,000 investment from charity Versus Arthritis, the Keywing is being released on the 27 March 2019, helping millions with reduced dexterity to open doors and regain independence.

Retailing from £4.99, the Keywing is a simple, innovative and thoughtfully designed product that clips onto keys. Once in place, it creates a larger surface area and longer lever, making keys easier to hold, grasp and turn, and locks much easier to open.…

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Closing the workforce gap

The Health Foundation, Kings Fund and Nuffield Trust recently published a report Closing the Gap: key areas for action on the health and care workforce. The report looked at two areas – nursing and general practice, both very relevant to MSK health care. At the moment the future looks bleak, with 41,000 nursing vacancies in the NHS and another 5,000 in social care. There are 2,500 fewer GPs than are needed. The report, however, is optimistic that these shortfalls can be addressed, provided policy changes are made.…

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Core Skills in MSK Care workshop series

These 1-day practical workshops provide a supportive environment for GPs and other frontline healthcare professionals to develop their confidence and skills in the diagnosis, treatment options and self-management of patients with MSK conditions.

There are six remaining workshops scheduled to take place throughout the UK in 2019:

  • Manchester – 21 May
  • Birmingham – 10 July
  • London – 25 September
  • Leeds – 23 October
  • London – 26 November
  • Glasgow – 10 December

Click here to book your place on any of the above workshops.…

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Aids and Adaptations parliamentary drop-in update

Unfortunately, owing to a planned strike by security staff at Westminster, the Versus Arthritis parliamentary drop-in on aids and adaptations on Wednesday 20 March was cancelled.

This is obviously very disappointing, for Versus Arthritis and campaigners, as we know how important it is for MPs to recognise the impact that aids and adaptations can have for people with arthritis. MPs have been informed and Versus Arthritis is currently working to reschedule the event. VA has also been in touch with the hundreds of supporters who contacted their MPs.…

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NASS delivers inaugural meeting of the first ever APPG on AS

Last week saw a momentous event for people living with axial SpA (AS) in the UK, when NASS held the inaugural meeting of the first ever all-party parliamentary group (APPG) specifically for Axial Spondyloarthritis. Parliamentarians, policy makers, clinicians, healthcare commissioners and NASS members and staff came together to identify and address concerns about AS care.

You can read NASS CEO Dr Dale Webb’s reflections on the meeting and more of what’s to come from NASS’ Every Patient, Every Time campaign.