Category: Health Policy

CEO update: The NHS Long-Term Plan – it’s what happens next that matters

NHS logo

by Sue Brown, CEO ARMA

The NHS Long-Term plan was published earlier this week. I was pleased to see quite a bit about musculoskeletal health throughout the document. There has been lots of immediate reaction, positive and negative. I think now is the time to focus on the positive, so here are my highlights.

The first reference to musculoskeletal health comes early on, (para 1.17) but seems to be mostly about frailty and older people. Great, I thought as I read this, but MSK isn’t just about older people.…

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Consultation on NICE principles

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is inviting comments on the consultation of a new version of the principles that guide the development of NICE guidance and standards. The consultation will run until 11 February 2019.

The document brings together existing statements of the way NICE practices, in particular the principles set out in our Social Values Judgements document. It also links to, and is consistent with, the legislation that establishes NICE in its current form, the NICE charter, and other legal, ethical and technical considerations that relate to decisions about how to allocate fixed resources in health and social care.…

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Guest blog: Keep on personalising care

by Sarah Duncan, Head of Clinical Policy, NHS England

An interview on the news recently about stem cell research into cartilage replacement for osteoarthritis, made me reflect on the phenomenal pace of change and progress in the relatively short time of my career. As a new physiotherapist in the mid-1980s we used short wave diathermy; long flexible heated tubes wrapped around a patient’s knees, to help with the pain of arthritis. Although patients really enjoyed the heat, it made little difference to their ongoing pain and mobility.…

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Versus Arthritis gives evidence to a Lords Committee about the social care needs of people with arthritis

Tracey Loftis, Head of Policy and Public Affairs Versus Arthritis, attended the Lords Economic Affairs Committee on Tuesday 4 December 2018 to talk about social care and the needs of people with arthritis, alongside colleagues from Mencap and the Alzheimer’s Society. 

In a wide-ranging session, Tracey highlighted Versus Arthritis’ research on aids and adaptations, the positive impact they have on the lives of people with arthritis and the challenges people still experience when trying to access them. Members of the Committee were particularly struck by the numbers of people affected by musculoskeletal conditions and the massive impact arthritis has on their lives. …

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A Vision for Population Health

Despite improvements in life expectancy, England lags behind other countries on many key health outcomes. A new report from the Kings Fund argues that to address this, we need to move away from a system just focused on diagnosing and treating illness towards one that is based on promoting wellbeing and preventing ill health.

Population health is an approach that aims to improve physical and mental health outcomes, promote wellbeing and reduce health inequalities across an entire population. The King’s Fund’s vision is to reduce inequalities and achieve health outcomes on a par with the best in the world by focusing on population health locally, regionally and nationally.…

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AHPs – Developing new models to support system challenges

Guest blog by Suzanne Rastrick, Chief Allied Health Professions Officer, NHS England

As I look back on 2018 it has been a great year for AHPs and for the NHS. 2018 has seen acknowledgement of ‘the Brilliance of AHPs’ by Simon Stevens, the Chief Executive of NHS England and development of a number of work areas which have highlighted how AHPs can support the challenges faced by the Health and Social care system in England. AHPs are a diverse group of practitioners recognised for their autonomy with proven ability to apply innovative solutions to the challenges facing communities across health and social care, but also in wider settings such as education, the military, justice, independent and voluntary sectors.…

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Work Foundation Report – Who Cares?

The Work Foundation’s Health at Work Policy Unit  has published its latest report: Who cares? The implications of informal care and work for policymakers and employers.

The number of informal carers in the UK is substantial and growing. Between 2001 and 2011, their number rose significantly (outstripping population growth) from 5.8 million to 6.5 million. Most carers are women (around 60%) and the vast majority (around 4.1 million) are of working age. Furthermore, the majority of working age carers (2.6 million) combine work with their caring responsibilities.…

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Alliance releases Musculoskeletal Conditions and Mental Health Policy Position Paper

In England alone, approximately 4.6 million people have had both a long-term physical health condition and mental health problems. People with long-term physical health conditions are two to three times more likely to experience mental health problems. For the working age population in the UK, musculoskeletal and mental health conditions are the most common health conditions. 35.2% of all working aged disabled people in the UK experience musculoskeletal conditions only; 20.2% experience mental health conditions only; and 17.2% experience both.

In policy directives and in practice, these conditions are often dealt with separately, although we are beginning to see some change now.…

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Guest blog: What is Moving Medicine?

by Dr Hamish Reid, Consultant in Sport and Exercise Medicine, Moving Medicine design and development lead

Moving Medicine is an exciting new initiative by the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine in partnership with Public Health England and Sport England. It is dedicated to spreading best practice, research and advice to clinicians and patients to create a healthier, happier and more active nation. On the 16th October 2018 the initiative was formally launched by the Honourable Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, headlining the flagship set of resources to support high quality conversations on physical activity across a broad range of chronic diseases including musculoskeletal pain.…

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No health without MSK health

Prevention is in the news this week as Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock announced that prevention must be at the heart of the NHS long-term plan, with more spending on community services.

This is welcome news and something ARMA and our members have long called for.

The new prevention vision aims to ensure that people can enjoy at least five extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035, while narrowing the gap between the experience of the richest and poorest.…

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