Versus Arthritis is campaigning to ensure that everyone who needs a joint replacement gets timely access to treatment. Hundreds of thousands of joint replacement operations take place each year. More than 90% of people who have hip and knee replacements have osteoarthritis.
At the end of February, Versus Arthritis released figures revealing that, in one year alone, almost 30,000 people with arthritis in England waited more than the guaranteed 18-weeks to start treatment. This has
been featured in the Telegraph, with more coverage to follow.…
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The final version of the 
The NHS Long Term Plan includes commitments to remove the need for up to a third of outpatient appointments over the next five years, saving patients 30 million trips to hospital and the NHS more than £1 billion a year in new expenditure, and to continue to provide patients with a wide choice of options for quick elective care. ARMA hosted a 
Registration is now open for the second joint conference organised by the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine (FSEM) and the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine (NCSEM). This year’s theme is ‘From Science to Services’, and the various speakers and workshops will aim to explore how cutting-edge sport, exercise and physical activity research is driving improvements in healthcare.
Upcoming webinar: Paediatric rheumatology: lived experience and psychological needs
In October 2019 ARMA held a roundtable bringing together people working on chronic pain from a range of perspectives to discuss what might be done to improve the experience of people living with chronic pain. Around 10–14% of people (6 – 8 million) experience moderate to severely disabling pain. Currently services and support for these people are difficult to access. Whilst not all chronic pain is musculoskeletal, osteoarthritis and back pain are associated with over half of all chronic pain, so that the lack of support is a key issue for us. … 
The Institute of Osteopathy has recently published additional reports, including the impact of Multidisciplinary management of low back pain and sciatica in primary care. This impact report provides an overview of the Plymouth Community Back Pain Service which has delivered a sustainable primary care service with measurable outcomes run by a multidisciplinary team including GPs, osteopaths, cognitive behavioural therapists and physiotherapists.
As detailed in their latest e-news bulletin, this February HMSA will be involved in Marfan Awareness, Raynaud’s Awareness, and at the end of the month, 
This joint response was issued by National Voices, The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance, Versus Arthritis, the MS Society, the Neurological Alliance and Healthwatch England.…