Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance
Influencing policy and care together for best lifelong musculoskeletal health
Join the NRAS Live session on Wednesday 26th March 2025, for a live chat between founder of NRAS, Ailsa Bosworth, MBE and Professor Abhishek. Professor Abhishek will be speaking about research within the rheumatology space, specifically touching on areas such as treatment approaches, drug safety and vaccinations (Flu, RSV, COVID).
You can submit your questions for the discussion via this link.
Lupus UK are conducting surveys and focus groups to develop their aims and priorities for the next 5 years. They want to hear from the whole lupus community about what you want and need, including people living with lupus and those who support them personally or professionally. Your voice matters, and Lupus UK is are listening.
A report into JIA care from the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death has just been published. Joint Care? A review of the quality of care provided to children and young adults with juvenile idiopathic arthritis covers care pathways, transition to adult services, access to medications, holistic care and education and training. It sets out recommendations for improvement.
Recommendations
Arthritis Action launches new data on impact of osteoarthritis on younger adults.
To support World Arthritis Day, Arthritis Action commissioned YouGov to re-examine data from its 2022 Impact on Daily Life report on the lifestyle impacts for those living with osteoarthritis at a younger age. The resulting new report “The Impact of Osteoarthritis” covers themes such as work, relationships, intimacy, and fertility as well as social life.
Read more on the arthritisaction.org.uk website.
The National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit (NEIAA) State of the Nation Summary Report 2024 was published on 10 October 2024.
NEIAA is commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) as part of the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP) and is delivered by the British Society for Rheumatology.
The audit aims to improve the quality of care for people living with inflammatory arthritis, connective tissue disease, and systemic vasculitis, collecting information on all adults with a new diagnosis in English and Welsh specialist rheumatology departments. …
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In October 2024, Physio First’s Data for Impact (DfI) and Quality Assurance schemes will be relocating to the prestigious Centre for Musculoskeletal (MSK) Health Research at Keele University. This strategic move signifies a substantial advancement in the quality of care for musculoskeletal conditions, benefiting both clinicians and patients alike.
The integration of the DfI with the Keele University-led National MSK Audit and Research Database will provide a comprehensive platform for real-time data collection and analysis from approximately 700 private practices and NHS community services.…
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The NIHR Innovation Observatory has undertaken a global horizon scan, supported by ORUK, to identify emerging MSK medical and digital health and care technologies with the potential to reduce the occurrence of MSK conditions, improve health outcomes and provide efficiencies within delivery of health and care services for people with poor MSK conditions.
It is anticipated that the research findings will be used to highlight early-stage technological innovations to prevent and manage MSK conditions and identify areas of unmet need. The report includes a breakdown of 109 innovative technologies (either regulated medical devices or digital interventions.…
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National Voices has published a new report, People’s experiences of diagnosis, which brings together insights from people with lived experience and members on the entire process of diagnosis – from trying to get an appointment for a diagnostic referral, to undergoing tests, and experiences post-diagnosis.
The report covers the themes of challenges in diagnosis, inequalities in diagnosis, and new innovation in diagnosis, before concluding with nine recommendations for improving patient experience of diagnosis.
These nine recommendations include:
You can read the full report here (pcdn.co)…
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The State of Musculoskeletal Health is Versus Arthritis’ annual statistics compendium of the most up-to-date, UK-wide statistics on arthritis and other musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. This includes how many people have these conditions, who is at risk of developing these conditions, and its impact on people, the health system and society. Health inequalities relating to musculoskeletal conditions have been highlighted throughout the document.
The new 2024 version includes new topics, including new data on chronic pain in Scotland and a summary of prevalence figures for some of the main types of arthritis.…
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Orthopaedic Research (ORUK) is one of the most significant funders of orthopaedic and MSK research in the UK. MSK researchers should check out these latest funding opportunities from ORUK.
Early Career Research fellowship: Up to £55K for 1 year or £110K across 2 years is available to support the brightest and best clinical/nonclinical talents interested in advancing MSK research in the UK. Application deadline: 24th June for initial expression of interest.
Furlong Fund: Investment of up to £100K in startups and supporting entrepreneurs accelerate innovative and commercially viable ideas to solve the unmet needs of society around bone, joint and muscle wellbeing.…
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