Arthritis News | ARMA

Musculoskeletal, falls, fractures & frailty: showcasing projects from the AHSN Network

A new guide has been published to showcase the extensive range of programmes being delivered by the AHSN Network to improve clinical services in the areas of musculoskeletal (MSK), falls, fractures and frailty, all key priorities for the NHS.

Collectively, MSK, falls, fractures and frailty have a major detrimental impact on patients, families and carers, and are a major cost to the NHS.

With a growing and ageing population, health and social care services need to be proactive in their response to this challenge.…

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Celebrate the messy and the unpredictable

Bringing knowledge together, bringing people together: those are the aims of ARMA’s clinical networks project. Bringing them together to improve the lives of people with MSK conditions, of course. That really sums up what ARMA is all about. We are about breaking down silos and professional boundaries, creating services which work in pathways, where multidisciplinary teams ensure people get the right support at the right time. We are about sharing knowledge and good practice so that professionals know what works and can replicate excellence in their local area.…

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The Pain Alliance Europe 2018 survey

Pain Alliance Europe are asking for responses to the 2018 edition of the Survey on Chronic Pain, which highlights how pain can affect the work-life of pain patients.

The charities who are members of Pain Alliance Europe (PAE) are inviting people with chronic pain or their carers to fill in this short survey on the effect of their chronic pain on their quality of life, their work situation and about any financial help they receive. The survey starts with some basic questions.…

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HMSA’s February e-news

The HMSA are busy preparing for their ‘Taking Action 2018-2022’ launch, which aims to guide strategy for the next 5 years. Part of that process is ‘The Big Conversation’ Members Consultation survey.

You can read about this and more from the February edition of HMSA’s e-news.
Learn more about:

livestream chats from HMSA’s resident occupational therapist;
the HSD Ambassador and Youth Patron preparing for the Hypermobility Management Workshop;
a consultation on the Call 111 campaign;
the helpline;
and an update from the CEO, Donna Wicks.

…

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ARMA Webinar: Focus on Musculoskeletal Health: developing and implementing a JSNA chapter

The webinar will outline the development of the JSNA chapter and why this is important for improving the musculoskeletal health of a local population. Ian Bernstein and Rutuja Kulkarni-Johnston will outline the process of developing an MSK JSNA chapter. Kevin Fenton will explore the benefits of this and how it might be used.

The London Borough of Ealing and NHS Ealing CCG published the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) chapter on Musculoskeletal Health in December 2017. The JSNA is a statutory document that describes the health and social care needs of the population, identifies gaps and unmet needs, and makes evidence-based recommendations to health and social care commissioners.…

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Foot Health Priority Setting Partnership survey

The University of Salford and the James Lind Alliance are leading a Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) which will ensure the perspectives of patients, carers and health care practitioners inform future research priorities for charities and funding agencies (such as NIHR). This PSP is an important step forward in understanding the current foot health research priorities across the UK, bringing patients, their carers and clinicians together to identify and prioritise unanswered questions about the effects of treatments (‘treatment uncertainties’) in specific conditions or areas of healthcare need.…

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MSK Medicine informs Choosing Wisely programme

The Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK will be submitting evidence and information on how Musculoskeletal Medicine and Exercise Medicine can contribute to the Choosing Wisely programme.

Choosing Wisely is a part of a global initiative, launched by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, aimed at improving conversations between patients and their doctors and nurses.

The purpose of the programme is to improve conversations between medical staff and patients to deliver enhanced care. The Academy explains; by having discussions that are informed by the doctor, but take into account what’s important to the patient too, both sides can be supported to make better decisions about care.…

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LUPUS UK publish results of their member survey

The recently published results of a LUPUS UK survey have revealed that lupus patients in the UK experience an average delay of 6.4 years between developing initial symptoms and reaching a diagnosis. In addition, the survey showed no change in this delay to diagnosis over recent decades despite efforts to improve identification and diagnosis of the disease.

The results of this survey, which was a collaboration between Manchester researchers and LUPUS UK, demonstrate that further work is needed to raise awareness of lupus amongst both healthcare professionals and patients in the UK to recognise the early symptoms and signs of the disease.…

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Accolade for ASone website & Axial Spondyloarthritis Seminar

ASone wins European Award

NASS is delighted to announce our ASone website is the inaugural winner of the EULAR Young PARE Youth Award.

In summer 2017 NASS launched ASone, a platform aimed at young people with AS. It’s a community where young people can share their thoughts, feelings and experiences. ASone covers a range of issues including studying, relationships, managing AS and exercising.

Read more about ASone from the NASS website.

Axial Spondyloarthritis Seminar

NASS welcomed 40 osteopaths and chiropractors to our inaugural Axial Spondyloarthritis Seminar on 21 February.…

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Update on Together for Mental Health in North Wales

Together for Mental Health in North Wales is an all-ages plan for mental health services in North
Wales covering the period up to 2021.

It has been put together by NHS Wales with partner organisations and with people who have lived experience of mental health issues. The project is supported by Caniad, an organisation created to involve people with lived experience in the design, delivery and evaluation of our mental health services.

The strategy outlines NHS Wales’s ambition to offer a comprehensive range of services that:

Promote health and wellbeing for everyone, focussing on prevention of mental ill health, and
early intervention when required;
Treat common mental health conditions in the community as early as possible;
Are community-based wherever possible, reducing our reliance on inpatient care;
Identify and treat serious mental illness as early as possible;
Manage acute and serious episodes of mental illness safely, compassionately, and
effectively;
Support people to recovery, to regain and learn the skills they need after mental illness; and
Assess and treat the full range of mental health problems, working alongside services for
people with physical health needs

Open the Together for Mental Health in North Wales strategy update document [PDF]
Law yn Llaw at Iechyd Meddwl yng Ngogledd Cymru – Chwefror 2018 [PDF]