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Professionals Versus Arthritis 2024 : ‘Building Solutions: Patient & Clinician – led Innovation’

In 2024 we built on the examples showcased in 2023 by highlighting more examples of patient and clinician-led innovation across the health system, in a continued environment of ongoing budget and workforce shortfalls and stubbornly high waiting times. 
 
The 2024 programme reflected this including Lived experience in the health system; The role of Health Psychology & Pain Management; Diagnosis Pathways – Ankylosing Spondylitis; Role of AHPs in waiting well; Fibromyalgia – Primary Care pathway development; Rheumatology – Waiting list initiatives; and Role of Nursing & the MDT on Orthopaedic waiting lists.
 
We had strong representation across MSK and Pain professional disciplines and bodies, commissioners, Department of Health & MLAs reflected in our speakers and delegates, as well as the NI Health Minister providing our opening remarks. We also invited our cohort of Patient Voice volunteers to attend & Tracey crucially took centre stage representing this in her session on lived experience in the NI healthcare system.

Images from the event

What participants said

Feedback has been positive with all respondents reporting that the event was either very or extremely useful to their professional practice.

Responses re impact of event and connections made has included:

'Networking & fantastic presentations';

'Better awareness of different resources & roles to help patients';

'Useful contacts made to progress pieces of work I need to deliver';

'Definite new links & benefits for patients';

'Establishing networks to enable discussions at a strategic level';

'Increased impact of the work we have been doing and some additional support for our project';

'We - HCPs and patients are so lucky to have such great organisations like VA. Thank you for the event.'

If you would like to find out more about the sessions – links to some of the videos are below.

Welcome from Versus Arthritis-Sara Graham – Head of Nation NI 

Opening Remarks- Mark Nesbitt- NI Health Minister

Diagnosis Pathways – Ankylosing Spondylitis

Adrian Pendleton - Rheumatology Consultant, BHSCT 

Niamh Kennedy - Advance Practice Physiotherapist, BHSCT  

Role of Nursing & the MDT in Orthopaedic waiting lists

Cathy Glass - Nursing Services Manager for Trauma & Orthopaedics, WHSCT