In November, ARMA sent a letter to the Chancellor on behalf of all the organisations supporting those who live with MSK conditions. The letter outlined the impact of the cost of living crisis and considerations for his tax and spending decisions.
Category: Publicity
NRAS CEO on the Health Without Borders podcast
Clare Jacklin, National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society CEO, made an appearance on the Health Without Borders podcast this week speaking about RA to an international audience, predominantly in the US.
In this episode, Clare touched on how the US is working to increase access to the new Evusheld scheme, how NRAS has grown to become the nation’s leading patient-led organisation focusing on RA, and much more.
Listen to the podcast here.
NASS launches campaign to achieve Gold Standard Time to Diagnosis for Axial SpA
On 22 June 2021, the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society (NASS) launched the Act on Axial SpA campaign.
It currently takes an average of 8.5 years to diagnose axial SpA. This is too long, and NASS aims to drive this down this down by introducing the world’s first Gold Standard Time to Diagnosis of just one year.
Axial spondyloarthritis is an inflammatory disease of the spine and joints. Inflammation where muscles attach to the bones, causes extreme pain. If left untreated, it can permanently fuse bones together.…
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Petition hand-in for joint replacement surgery across all UK governments
Over the last year Versus Arthritis has been running a petition to promote the campaign for urgent government action to bring down waiting times and ensure people waiting for joint replacement surgery get the support they need. 46,000 people have now signed the petition.
On Wednesday 21 July, the Impossible to Ignore petition was submitted to all UK Governments. Versus Arthritis went to the Department of Health and Social Care in Westminster, and delivered it virtually to governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.…
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The Campaign for orthopaedics surgery ‘goes’ to Parliament
On Monday 23 November 2020 the campaign to prioritise extra capacity in orthopaedics surgery ‘went’ to Parliament in the form of a roundtable event. The virtual roundtable brought together a wider range of stakeholders including representatives of charities, surgeons, clinicians and industry to make the case in Parliament as to why orthopaedics should be a priority for the NHS over the next few years.
The event was hosted by Dr James Davies MP – a GP, member of the Health and Social Care Select Committee – and a Conservative MP for the Vale of Clwyd in North Wales.…
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Stay alert to stay safe
PHE has updated their public messaging to convey the latest advice from the Government regarding coronavirus. The new posters display the key messages for the ‘Stay Alert’ phase, containing official guidance relating to social distancing in specific settings:
- At home
- Travelling to work
- At work
- Whilst exercising
- Whilst shopping
- In transport hubs (in train stations, underground stations etc.)
Other messaging includes:
- Detailed handwashing guidance
- Hand hygiene
- ‘R’ rate
Here are the latest posters and imagery designed for dissemination on Social media.…
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Physical Activity publications
Readers of this newsletter will all be aware that physical activity is essential for musculoskeletal health. Every month we seem to report new publications on the subject. This month is no exception: two recent publications highlight the challenges and propose some solutions.
Researchers have studied adolescents’ activity levels in 146 countries and found that more than 80% are not meeting the recommended levels of activity. In the UK in 2016, more than 85% of girls were not active enough, and neither were almost 75% of boys.…
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iO’s Osteopathy For Health
Harnessing the power of social media to promote public health
The Institute of Osteopathy (iO) has launched a new community Facebook page ‘Osteopathy for Health’ with the aim to provide the public with useful health advice and tips to support positive lifestyle behaviours.
The iO first launched ‘Osteopathy for Health’ as web-based information, supported by a series of advice leaflets that could be distributed by osteopaths and other healthcare practitioners. The project has now evolved to utilise the power of social media to spread health and lifestyle messages on exercise, diet, getting older, sleep, and mental health on a dedicated Facebook page ‘Osteopathy for Health’.…
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NASS delivers inaugural meeting of the first ever APPG on AS
Last week saw a momentous event for people living with axial SpA (AS) in the UK, when NASS held the inaugural meeting of the first ever all-party parliamentary group (APPG) specifically for Axial Spondyloarthritis. Parliamentarians, policy makers, clinicians, healthcare commissioners and NASS members and staff came together to identify and address concerns about AS care.
You can read NASS CEO Dr Dale Webb’s reflections on the meeting and more of what’s to come from NASS’ Every Patient, Every Time campaign.
Public Health letter
In early February, ARMA was one of 55 signatories to an open letter published in The Times newspaper from the Association of Directors of Public Health. The letter argued that public health should be a priority in the Spending Review.
ADPH President Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy said:
“Tackling the root causes of ill health and creating places in which we can all be healthy is the mission of local government. If we undervalue this public health expertise within local government, the NHS Long Term Plan simply cannot be delivered.…
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