Category: Resources

Aquatics and swimming programme for all health and social care staff

The Aquatic Activity and Swimming for Health e-learning programme is now available for everyone within health and social care settings.

Previously only available for colleagues with an NHS email address, the programme can now be accessed by all.

The resource, developed in partnership with Swim England, Aquatic Therapy Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (ATACP) and the University of Nottingham, raises awareness of the benefits of aquatic activity on health and wellbeing and will enhance learners’ confidence in identifying patients who would benefit most.…

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New paper shows impact and value of community-based MSK care

A paper evaluating the effectiveness of the ESCAPE-pain programme delivered in community centres – “Community‐based care for people with chronic knee and hip pain: Preliminary clinical outcomes and healthcare utilisation for ESCAPE‐pain” – shows the positive impact of the programme on levels of participant activity. Before the programme, only 24% of participants were classified as ‘fairly active/active’ (doing more than 30 minutes of activity per week); after the programme, 78% were classified as ‘fairly active/active’; 6 months later, 69% were still ‘fairly active/active’.…

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Musculoskeletal orthopaedic approach to referral optimisation

MSK flow chartNHS England has published Musculoskeletal orthopaedic approach to referral optimisation, a guidance document developed by the Outpatient Recovery and Transformation Programme (OPRT) and BestMSK Health Collaborative.

This guidance describes the benefits of referral optimisation in adult services managing musculoskeletal conditions, focusing on the use of specialist advice to enable people to be seen by the right person, at the right time and in the right place.

It makes the case for change to sustain high quality care, manage risk and optimise capacity across primary, community and secondary care MSK services.…

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Airing Pain: Childhood Pain – Adverse Experiences

Childhood painThe new edition of Airing Pain explores the relationship between childhood trauma and chronic pain in adolescence and adulthood. Episode 140 is about how early childhood experiences and trauma in formative years can cause changes on a structural and functional level in the brain that can predispose young people to pain alongside a wide range of health conditions.

It is now available to listen to here.
The full transcript is available online to download, as well as a captioned video on Youtube.…

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Osteopaths and their work in public health

iO banner RSPH

Daniel McCarthy, Professional Development Manager at the iO, has recently worked with the Royal Society for Public Health to promote the role of the osteopathic profession in public health matters.

A resource has been created in the Allied Health Professions Hub; this new infographic illustrates how an osteopaths role integrates within public health, accompanied by a profession descriptor. Download these free materials today.

Axial SpA and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

gut painIn June, in collaboration with Crohn’s & Colitis UK, and with support from the British Society for Gastroenterology (BSG), NASS launched the findings from their landscape review into diagnosing axial SpA in people living with inflammatory bowel disease.

As part of the NASS Act on axial SpA campaign, lunched in June 2021, we developed a 22-question survey in conjunction with key clinical advisors, Crohn’s & Colitis UK and BSG. There are two major themes emerging from this analysis to help ensure swift recognition, identification, and referral of suspected axial SpA: education and joint working with rheumatology.…

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Join the Peer-to-Peer Network for axial SpA

Act on AxialSpaNASS has set up a Peer-to-Peer Network open to any healthcare professional working in axial SpA, whether in the NHS or private practice.

It’s an informal but structured group, providing the opportunity to link with others, share good practice and discuss ideas. 

There are two ways to be involved: we’ll be monthly webinars from September, plus quarterly newsletters in Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

Find out more here, where you can also find details of our toolkit for health professionals and how to apply for the first ever Changemaker Awards.