Collaboration | ARMA

NASS Aspiring to Excellence programme begins

In early December the initial cohort of the multi-year service improvement programme Aspiring to Excellence met for their first day of shared learning. The cohort, made up of members of the six teams awarded a place on the programme, began the process of planning for their department’s improvement aims.

The group will meet four times a year for three years and be given expert support to help catalyse across-the-board improvements in the availability of services and quality of care available for axial SpA patients.…

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ARMA, PHE and the Centre for Ageing Better

ARMA joins Public Health England and the Centre for Ageing Better to make England the best place to grow old, because musculoskeletal health is vital to healthy ageing.

ARMA joined over sixty high-profile organisations in the UK’s health, housing, employment, research and voluntary sectors to launch a landmark shared vision on healthy ageing.

There are five key principles: prioritising prevention and public health; creating opportunities for people to contribute to society as they age; fostering accessible and inclusive homes and neighbourhoods so everyone can live where they want; narrowing inequalities in healthy ageing; and challenging ageist language, culture and practices.…

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Pain and physical activity: complex issues need collaborative solutions

CEO update by Sue Brown

One of the things I love about my job is the variety of things I get involved in. The wide scope of what is covered by musculoskeletal health and the variety of ARMA members, partners and stakeholders means no two days are ever the same. August has been a month to prepare for the exciting variety of activity we have planned including our annual lecture, a roundtable on pain, an event on physical activity and more webinars.…

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Health and Wellbeing Resources Pack for local health and care systems

by Michael Ly, Health Intelligence Manager, Versus Arthritis

In January 2019, NHS England published the NHS Long Term Plan, outlining its vision to improve the health and wellbeing of people over the next 10 years. Central to this vision is a commitment to designing and delivering services that are more joined-up, tailored and community-based to meet the needs of local people, including those who face health inequalities.

To do this effectively, the Long Term Plan recognises that local health and care systems will need to work in partnership with communities and charities to understand the health and care needs of their local population.…

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Prevention and primary care: opportunities we must all engage

Two things happened in July which will be significant for MSK services: the publication of the Prevention Green Paper Advancing Our Health, and the creation of over 1,200 Primary Care Networks (PCNs) across England. ARMA will be supporting members to engage with the Green Paper and to ensure PCNs deliver what is needed for MSK. We hope all our newsletter readers will get involved too.

I was pleased to see that Advancing Our Health gives plenty of profile to MSK.…

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Axial SpA Referral Template launch

NASS was delighted to launch the NASS Allies referral template, in conjunction with the Institute of Osteopathy and Royal College of Chiropractors, at the Primary Care and Public Health Conference on 15 and 16 May. The template was developed to help chiropractors and osteopaths in recommending referral for patients with suspected inflammatory back pain to rheumatology.

The template has been endorsed by the Royal College of GPs and Chartered Society for Physiotherapy. NASS is grateful to both the Institute of Osteopathy and Royal College of Chiropractors for their continued collaboration and wonderfully patient-centred approach.…

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Call for mental health to be prioritised for musculoskeletal patients

In April 2019, ARMA, supported by UK charity Arthritis Action, released a new report looking at the impact of mental health on people with arthritis and other musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. The report followed a roundtable event, organised by ARMA in March, which, for the first time, brought together leaders from Mind, NHS England, Arthritis Action, and other health charities to look at ways to improve access to effective psychological support for MSK patients.

Sue Brown, CEO of ARMA, says:

“It’s not surprising that mental health is so common amongst people with conditions which cause long term pain.…

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