Tackling Inequalities Fund Panel member opportunity

Versus Arthritis has teamed up with Sport England to help distribute £250,000 grants from their ‘Tackling Inequalities’ fund on behalf of the Richmond Group of Charities. The purpose of the fund is to reduce the negative impact of coronavirus and the widening of the inequalities in sport and physical activity through increasing availability of exercise opportunities in local communities.

The funding will be targeted to help support people with long-term health conditions, Black, Asian minority ethnic groups and lower socio-economic groups.…

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The College becomes the Royal College of Podiatry

The College of Podiatry has been renamed as the Royal College of Podiatry (RCPod) after being granted permission to use the title by Her Majesty The Queen.

The RCPod is the professional body for podiatry and represents 10,000 members in the United Kingdom and internationally. With its members, the RCPod campaigns to raise awareness that good lower-limb health is essential, and that podiatry is a key element of preventative medicine in the wider health economy. Permission to use the royal title is granted by The Queen, who acts on advice provided to her by her ministers.…

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#BestMSKHealth programme launch

NHS England has launched a new programme with the aim of sustaining the delivery of evidence-informed, personalised, high-quality integrated healthcare of value to all. This new initiative, part of the Pathways for Better Health Programme, significantly increases the resource to support MSK service delivery.

The programme covers the breadth of MSK including orthopaedics, rheumatology and pain, spanning primary secondary and community services. You can watch the launch event here.

The programme has ten workstreams, each led by a relevant clinical specialist:

  • Diagnostics
  • Orthopaedics
  • Rheumatology
  • Primary and Community MSK Provision
  • Spinal Services
  • Falls, Fragility Fractures and Osteoporosis
  • Data, Validation and Coding
  • Communications and Developing MSK Networks
  • Supporting those with Long Term MSK Conditions
  • Outpatients

There is the intention to ensure that the programme is coproduced involving the range of stakeholders including people with lived experience and patient organisations.…

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New video: How to self-examine for tender and swollen joints in rheumatoid arthritis

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the delivery of healthcare services, creating challenges for healthcare professionals and people living with musculoskeletal conditions. Patients are increasingly required to monitor their own disease activity and report on their condition during remote or virtual consultations.

To address this, the Centre for Epidemiology Versus Arthritis has been working on the REmote MOnitoring of Rheumatoid Arthritis (REMORA) study. REMORA is a smartphone app study that encourages people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to monitor and record their daily symptoms.…

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Health of people from ethnic minority groups

The King's Fund logoThe Kings Fund has produced an explainer on the health of people from ethnic minority groups in England. Whilst this doesn’t include MSK health, it does include several relevant determinants of health including physical activity levels, obesity, healthy diet, socioeconomic inequalities and access to services.

The document concludes that strategies for improving the health of England’s ethnic minority communities need to address the multiple factors that have an impact on their health. It identifies four areas for focus:

  • The role of public health and NHS services
  • Addressing the wider determinants of health
  • Tackling structural racism
  • Data

Read the explainer.

Upcoming NRAS JIA events

Join NRAS for their first JIA Zoom event: Coping with JIA during COVID-19.
This event is exclusively for parents who have children with JIA.
When: Wednesday 10th March, 6:30pm-8pm on Zoom.

There will be an update from Debbie Wilson, NRAS Young Persons Project Co-ordinator, an update from Nick Wilkinson, Paediatric Rheumatologist, and a short talk from one of our Young Voices.

Visit this link to sign up.

In April, loin NRAS for a Zoom event for young people living with JIA:
Navigating your Future with inflammatory arthritis

This event is exclusively for young people aged 16-30.…

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X-Factor star learns about axial SpA

Talia Dean meets Dasha and Gillian to learn more about axial SpA (AS)

Singer-songwriter, Talia Dean, made a big announcement in January 2021. In 2020 she was diagnosed with axial SpA (AS). Watch this video as she meets Dasha and Gillian, who live with the disease, and starts her journey towards becoming an #ASWarrior. #TaliasASJourney

See Talia’s story in the BBC article, 15 January 2021:
My back pain was misdiagnosed for 15 years – now I can’t dance

Welcoming a new member

We are delighted to welcome a new ARMA member, Physio First.

Physio First is a membership trade association of self-employed Chartered physiotherapists. Their organisational statement of intent: to “champion evidenced value based private physiotherapy with Physio First members in the changing healthcare marketplace.”

Read more about Physio Fast on our Membership page.

Proposed Health Index consultation

The Office for National Statistics is consulting on a new measure for health in England, recognising that the nation’s health is an asset – as important to the economy and wider society as it is to the individual. The proposed health index not only measures how healthy people are today but also looks at the wider social and economic circumstances that will influence our – and the next generation’s – ability to live healthy lives in the future. Tracking these indicators over time provides the opportunity to finally look beyond GDP as a sole measure of national success.…

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