Category: Arthritis News

A new Health Secretary. A new opportunity for MSK health? 

ARMA CEOby Adrian Bradley, CEO, Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA)

May 2026

Like many people working across health and care, I watched the latest ministerial changes with mixed feelings. A new Health Secretary always brings uncertainty. Priorities can shift, momentum can be lost, relationships need to be rebuilt, but moments like this also create opportunity.

For those of us working to improve musculoskeletal (MSK) health, a new Health Secretary is a chance to make a simple but important case: MSK health must become a national priority.…

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ORUK’s Funding for MSK start-ups

Orthopaedic Research UK (ORUK) is offering up to £100k through the Ronald Furlong Fund to support early‑stage startups working on practical, evidence‑based solutions in musculoskeletal health.

Named in honour of the charity’s founder, who combined successful careers as an orthopaedic surgeon and entrepreneur, the Fund is designed to help entrepreneurs accelerate innovative and commercially viable ideas that solve the unmet needs of society around bone, joint and muscle wellbeing.

ORUK has investments in seven early stage MSK businesses, some of whom applied through the Ronald Furlong Fund.…

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Joint Venture MSK Innovation website

ORUK launches website for Joint Venture MSK innovation initiative

Following a series of successful events under the Joint Venture label, Orthopaedic Research UK (ORUK) has launched a dedicated website for the Joint Venture MSK Innovation initiative.

Joint Venture is a community of innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, investors and others interested in driving innovation and entrepreneurship within MSK health. It is designed to create a forum for debate, a force for positive change (especially in tackling systemic barriers to innovation), an incubator of new ideas and tangible solutions and a dynamic and supportive network.…

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One set of Standards for Regulators including BASRaT

BASRaT has welcomed the news that the PSA is introducing a single set of Regulation Standards to apply to both Accredited Registers and Statutory Regulators. This aligns the standards for BASRaT with regulators including the GMC and HCPC.

The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) is the UK’s independent regulatory oversight body. Working with the PSA, BASRaT regulates and guides Sport Rehabilitators on their role and responsibilities ensuring professional competency and development.

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ICBs ration surgeries with BMI thresholds

Arthritis UK Urges ICBs to Scrap BMI Threshold Policies Used to Ration Surgeries

Almost a fifth of ICBs in England are rationing joint replacement surgery based on a person’s BMI, an approach that contradicts NICE guidance for the diagnosis and management of osteoarthritis.

These policies vary across England, creating a postcode lottery where patients may be denied access to life-changing treatment based on where they live rather than clinical need. Many patients are also required to lose weight before surgery but are not given access to the weight management services needed to do so.…

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ARMA Welcomes the Neighbourhood health framework

NHS England Policy Paper

Neighbourhood health framework

Published 17 March 2026

We welcome the new Neighbourhood Health Framework because it moves neighbourhood health in the right direction.

  1. It sees neighbourhood health as more than NHS reconfiguration.
  2. It supports a prevention-first model.
  3. It values continuity, co-ordination and multidisciplinary care.
  4. It connects health to wider outcomes such as work, independence and participation.

That is close to ARMA’s vision of putting the NHS in the context of the places and communities it serves, not treating health as something created by services alone.…

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NRAS launches Healthcare Champions Awards

The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) is marking a major milestone in 2026—its 25th anniversary—by launching the Healthcare Champions Awards, a nationwide initiative celebrating excellence across the rheumatology community.

The awards highlight the dedication, innovation and compassion shown by professionals who support the UK’s 500,000 people living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Patients and families are invited to nominate rheumatologists, nurses, therapists, pharmacists or entire teams who have made a meaningful difference in their care.

To encourage participation, NRAS has released a downloadable poster featuring a QR code that allows patients to submit nominations directly from their smartphones while waiting for appointments.…

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Advancing Practice MSK MSc – Enrolment open

The Society of Musculoskeletal Medicine (SOMM) is pleased to share an exciting update ahead of the new academic year.

Since its development in 2000 in partnership with Middlesex University, the MSc in Musculoskeletal Medicine has continued to evolve. In 2018, the programme moved to Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh, where it successfully ran until August 2024.

SOMM is delighted to announce that QMU now offers a part‑time, fully online MSc / PgDip Advancing Practice in Musculoskeletal Medicine.

Health professionals who have completed SOMM’s Foundation in Musculoskeletal Medicine module (SOMM Diploma in Musculoskeletal Medicine) within the last five years, worth 60 master’s‑level credits, are eligible to apply.…

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Celebrating Christina Cunliffe OBE

Christina Cunliffe OBEThe RCC President-Elect, Stuart Smellie and Chief Executive, Susie Isaacson were delighted to be invited to share the formal celebrations as Professor Christina Cunliffe OBE, Principal of McTimoney College of Chiropractic was awarded her Order of the British Empire (OBE) from the Princess Royal at Windsor Castle.

This was a proud moment to celebrate all of Christina’s many achievements and she was joined by family, friends, colleagues, patients and members of the chiropractic community. We were delighted to share this momentous occasion to celebrate Christina’s personal ambition and all that she represents for the profession as a whole.…

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