Category: Patients

Transport for London’s ‘please offer me a seat’ badge and card

Transport for London (TfL) is launching the ‘Please offer me a seat’ scheme for people who find it difficult to stand when using public transport. The badge and accompanying card were created following requests from customers who struggle to get a seat because their need is not immediately apparent to other travellers. The badge and card remove the awkwardness of customers having to explain their need for a seat to others.

Last autumn, TFL held a six week trial with 1,200 people to test the new badge and card.…

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PIER showcases good practice to NHS delegation

A group of senior delegates from the NHS Health Literacy Collaborative Group visited the Haywood Hospital in late February to look at the Patient Information and Resource Centre, (PIER) and see what effect its presence has had on the health literacy of patients and carers using the hospital.

Based within the outpatients’ area of the Haywood Hospital, the PIER, which opened in October 2015, provides patients, their families and carers with access to information on arthritis and related conditions. Visitors have access to a range of printed and online material in modern comfortable surroundings.…

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New Self-Management Event in Coventry

Arthritis Action will be holding a two-day Self-Management Event in Coventry on Wednesday 26th April 2017 at 2 pm – 4.30 pm and Thursday 27th April 2017 at 10.00 am – 1.00 pm.

 

We aim to help our attendees take control of the symptoms of their arthritis, covering topics such as:

  • The impact of physical therapies
  • How you can best manage your pain
  • The benefits of exercise and a healthy diet
  • Ways to work in partnership with healthcare professionals

This event will be free of charge and refreshments will be provided, and is open to all.…

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Could long-term conditions reach the point where patients are actually driving the research agenda?

by Kate Gilbert, PhD, Project Lead for PMRGCAuk’s Rheuma Research Roadshows

I’m writing this on a train on a February evening, feeling worn out but excited, a state of mind familiar to any development worker who has just launched a major project. In this case, the PMRGCAuk team have just held the first of our Research Roadshows, funded by a grant from the Wellcome Trust, focusing on Giant Cell Arteritis and Polymyalgia Rheumatica. The roadshows are going to take place at research hubs around the country. …

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New self-management event in Bury St Edmunds

Arthritis Action will be holding a new two day Self-Management Event on 15th and 16th March 2017 in Bury St Edmunds.

We aim to help our attendees take control of the symptoms of their arthritis, covering topics such as:

  • The impact of physical therapies
  • How you can best manage your pain
  • The benefits of exercise and a healthy diet
  • Ways to work in partnership with healthcare professionals

This event  will be free of charge and refreshments will be provided, and is open to all.…

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New Self-Management Event in Southampton

SME Southampton

Arthritis Action will be holding a new, two-day Self-Management Event on 14th and 15th February 2017, in Southampton.

We aim to help our attendees take control of the symptoms of their arthritis, covering topics such as:

  • The impact of physical therapies
  • How you can best manage your pain
  • The benefits of exercise and a healthy diet
  • Ways to work in partnership with healthcare professionals

This open event will be free of charge and refreshments will be provided.…

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New Friends Scheme for UK Gout Society

Logo-for-UK-Gout-SocietyThe UK Gout Society has launched a new Friends’ scheme through which it aims to provide information and support to more people living with gout in the UK.

For an annual fee of £18, Friends of the Charity will receive a subscription to our quarterly Gout e-News alert and selected discounts on books etc.

To find out how to become a Friend of the Charity, follow the link : http://www.ukgoutsociety.org/support_us…

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Lack of NHS Resources in Wales Could Be Causing Delays to Arthritis Diagnosis and Treatment

Joint release from: British Society for Rheumatology and National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society

Rheumatology and arthritis societies raise concerns for arthritis services in Wales and call for more support to improve long-term patient outcomes.

The number of patients referred to rheumatology departments in Wales has increased by 66% since 2012, but resources for treatment are not keeping up with the demand, say patients and clinicians. As a consequence, new patients are waiting longer to be seen and treated and existing patients are struggling to secure follow up appointments and self-management advice.  …

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Helping people to escape the misery of chronic joint pain ­– A musculoskeletal network in action.

by Professor Michael Hurley, Clinical Director,
Musculoskeletal Programme, Health Innovation Network South London

Along with many others in the musculoskeletal community, I get a tired of hearing about other long term conditions which continuously feature in the headlines – both in national media and NHS policy. Poor old ‘common’ joint pain is neither sexy nor headline-grabbing, but we all know how much it impairs the quality of life – none more so than the people who suffer it.

In the musculoskeletal programme of the Health Innovation Network (South London’s Academic Health Science Network http://www.hin-southlondon.org/clinical-areas/musculoskeletal…

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