Health Policy | ARMA

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 16^th 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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Mental health and MSK rising up the agenda

There seems to have been a lot of mental health in my work in recent weeks. I’m pleased for two reasons. Personally, as someone who used to work for Mind it’s a subject that remains dear to my heart. But also, because this increase in mental health related activity is a sign that the mental health sector is focusing increasingly on the needs of people with long-term conditions. At the moment that’s focusing much more on conditions like diabetes or cardiovascular disease.…

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ARMA’s new strategy for 2019 – 2021

Over the last few months ARMA has been working with members on a new strategy, setting out more clearly what we work on and how we work in collaboration with our members. We will work in those areas where collaboration will have bigger impact than any single organization working alone. Through greater clarity and focus we expect to achieve greater impact. If you are reading this and thinking that your professional body or patient organisation isn’t a member but really should be part of this, encourage them to join.…

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Attend the annual ARMA lecture on physical activity

Taking place on Wednesday 21 November 2018 at 6pm in London.

Hear and debate three perspectives on physical activity at the Annual ARMA Lecture, this year in partnership with Versus Arthritis. Three outstanding speakers, Nick Pearson, CEO parkrun, Michael Brennan, Physical Activity Programme Manager, Public Health England and Claire Harris, Physiotherapist speak to the theme: More people, more active, more often: three perspectives on physical activity and musculoskeletal health

Physical activity is good for promoting musculoskeletal health and helps alleviate the symptoms of musculoskeletal conditions.…

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