To mark World Arthritis Day on 12th October, Arthritis Action ran a week-long campaign on social channels to raise awareness of arthritis and highlight the impact a year living with the COVID-19 pandemic has had on people living with long-term pain conditions, like arthritis. This included the launch of a new video, where Arthritis Action members and volunteers Leigh Walmsley and Lucy Morley-Williams share their inspiring stories of living with arthritis during a difficult year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic.…
Read more of this article
Category: Arthritis News
Panorama NHS: Wait or Pay
The number of people waiting for hospital treatment in England has hit a record high of 5.61 million, as the NHS struggles to clear the growing backlog of cases caused by COVID-19. In a BBC Panorama programme on 27 September, Victoria Derbyshire met some of those on the waiting list and heard about the profound effects it is having on their lives.
Building back inclusively
The NHS Confederation has published a briefing on Building back inclusively: Radical approaches to tackling the elective backlog.
There is evidence suggesting that waiting lists have grown more rapidly in more deprived areas during the pandemic. There are good reasons to believe that the current approach to elective care, whereby patients are treated in the order they present for care, exacerbates inequalities and worsens health outcomes. The briefing sets out a package of measures, including the politically uncomfortable step of proactively growing the waiting list to address this.…
Read more of this article
Join the BJW online launch event and panel discussion
We’re holding an online event to launch Bone and Joint Week:
‘What can help MSK health nationally, regionally and locally, now more than ever?’
12 October at 12.30pm-1.45pm
We know that good musculoskeletal health means better wellbeing for individuals and communities, but with the challenges on the system and its workforce, how can we accomplish this? Join us for this fast-moving discussion of key points of what can help. The event marks the start of Bone and Joint Week 2021.…
Read more of this article
BackCare Awareness Week 4 – 8 October 2021
“Putting our backs into it…”
With an estimated 540 million people in the world suffering with low back pain at any one time, It remains one of the leading causes of years lived with disability, and the biggest single cause of disability on the planet today.
It will therefore come as no surprise that it is also the largest cause of work absences, accounting for more than 12 million days lost every year in the UK, alone. Back pain presents a major challenge to health systems and employers alike, and costs the NHS and the UK economy billions of pounds every year.…
Read more of this article
Discussing the value of private physiotherapy
Physio First gets face-to-face with international colleagues to talk about value
Physio First, the professional network of the CSP representing physios working in private practice, attended a hybrid meeting in September alongside representatives from private practices in 17 different countries.
IPPTA is the subgroup of World Physiotherapy that represents the interests of private practitioners in members’ countries. In Helsinki, Finland, the focus for the business meeting was to concentrate one of the main IPPTA strategic goals, which is “to help private physiotherapy organisations help their members to determine and compete on quality and evidenced based value.”…
Read more of this article
The 2021 PCRMM Annual Conference – Registration is now open
18 & 19 November 2021
The PCRMM Society is delighted to let you know that the programme for the upcoming virtual conference “Rheumatology and Beyond in Primary Care” is now available and tickets are now on sale.
You can read all about it and book to attend here.
After the success of last year’s conference, this promises to be an event that will enlighten, educate and also entertain you all! Talks will include “Paediatric Rheumatology”, “Improving the diagnosis of SpA” and a joint injection session, amongst many more.…
Read more of this article
Guest blog: Best MSK Health for London
What is the roadmap for improving musculoskeletal health in London?
Personal view from Ian Bernstein, Clinical Director for Musculoskeletal Health, NHS England and NHS Improvement, London Region.
The Best MSK Health collaborative at NHS England brings together providers and people with lived experience to “enable best MSK health for all”. [1] The programme formally launched in February 2021 as we were riding the second COVID wave; and the timing is significant. We have known for many years that musculoskeletal problems are the largest cause of years lived with a disability in the UK.…
Read more of this article
Bone and Joint Week 2021 Resources
Resources for MSK
If you work for an ICS, PCN or provider organisation
- Ensure you have a co-production approach to your services. See top tips on co-production and ARMA’s working in partnership with patients page;
- Join the NHS Futures Best MSK Health forum;
- See the National Back Pain Pathway;
- The ARMA core offer for commissioning in line with the NHS long term plan for MSK;
- Watch the ARMA/NHSE good practice webinars;
- UK Chief Medical Officer’s Physical Activity Guidelines;
- See our MSK COVID-19 resources;
- See our Chronic Pain reports and recommendations;
- Workforce planning – see the breadth of musculoskeletal healthcare professionals available to support musculoskeletal services: ‘Workforce Planning Chart for MSK’;
- Sign up to our free, monthly e-newsletter;
MSK healthcare professionals
- Join the NHS Futures Best MSK Health forum;
- Make sure people with MSK know about peer support from patient groups.
Read more of this article
International opportunities and global standards
Members of BASRaT will soon be able to work abroad thanks to the new international arrangement between ARTI Ireland, BASRaTorg, BOCATC US and CATA Canada.
The agreement will enhance skills, practices and education standards of sport rehabilitators and athletic trainers in the UK, Canada, America and Ireland due to the agreement ensuring comparable best practices, quality education and professional standards.
The international agreement for the profession of athletic training and therapy plays a key role in optimising care, injury prevention, rehabilitation and supporting the rights of patients and the public to achieve their potential to live well.…
Read more of this article