Health Service Innovation - Partner with us and make a Difference

Professionals Versus Arthritis

In June 2023 we held our first face to face 'Professionals Versus Arthritis' event since 2019 with the aim of recognising ‘Innovation against the Odds’ within health and social care.

Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland has faced immense challenges in recent years -underfunding, growing waiting lists, staff shortages and of course the pandemic. Yet against this background there are many examples of innovation in the system.

This event aimed to engage and inspire healthcare professionals and decision makers, and:

• Celebrate innovation and service improvement in the face of extraordinary pressures within the health service;
• Facilitate cross-discipline learning and strengthen the professional community within MSK healthcare;
• Raise awareness of issues across musculoskeletal (MSK) healthcare provision.

Wider objectives

• Continue momentum of online NI MSK forums, facilitating MSK networks and Community through a face to face event; 
• Influence decision makers in absence of functioning government, informing our MSK policy and influencing activity 
• Platform the work of professionals involved in all aspects of MSK healthcare  
• Highlight the role of the patient voice in healthcare improvement 
• Share innovations in service quality and improvement  
• Promote Versus Arthritis’ 2023-28 Vision, Mission and Strategic Goals and the value of partnering with us

Showcasing innovation: Watch the presentations

Download speaker biographies

SECTION THEME: Innovation in Training and Education

Lived Experience in Healthcare Professional Education

• Dr Jim McMullan MRCGP Clinical Teaching Fellow and Honorary Lecturer Queens University Belfast, Training Program Director NIMDTA  https://youtu.be/TS_IL4dpqhcPatient
  
  
• Voice volunteer Claire Yacoub https://youtu.be/BeBOY2Y72oI

Innovation in Primary Care and MSK Core Skills

• Dr Conor Gorman GP Partner, GPwSI Orthopaedics (NHSCT), Clinical Lead GP Elective Care Service, MSK Core Skills trainer https://youtu.be/EUcVaEXatEU

SECTION THEME: Innovation in Research

Personalised research into arthritis care

• Dr David Gibson Senior Lecturer & Research Group Lead of the Personalised Medicine Centre, Ulster University https://youtu.be/hO0cdWBs73U
  
  
• Patient Voice volunteer Gillian Coward https://youtu.be/9i13OIgX1Pw 

SECTION THEME: Innovation in Patient experience

Chronic Pain service transformation

• Dr Jason Brooks Clinical Lead Chronic Pain Service https://youtu.be/Vt9la2YXQxA 

Paediatric Rheumatology and transition potential

• Dr Dearbhla McKenna Paediatric Rheumatology Consultant [Coming soon]

SECTION THEME: Service rebuild post covid

Orthopaedics rebuild

• Dr Seamus O’Brien Senior Manager Orthopaedics https://youtu.be/r7_PwJsi2_c 

SECTION THEME: Innovation in Waiting list management and Patient Communication

Quality Improvement in Orthopaedics

• Carmel Tierney Clinical Team Lead Physiotherapist Orthopaedics https://youtu.be/vtI6jaAfWyw
  
  
• Gillian Graham Clinical Lead Physiotherapist Regional Spinal Orthopaedic Team https://youtu.be/i1UhzPPwJPo 

Adult Rheumatology and service initiatives addressing waiting lists

• Dr Claire Benson Clinical Director for Rheumatology and Dermatology &
  Anne Flynn Quality Improvement & Business Support Manager https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUnIP0rE_wY 
  
  
• Keren Kerr Interim Assistant Service Manager, Rheumatology & Dermatology https://youtu.be/k9Yve7wyw70 

Download the PowerPoint slides

Next steps

Versus Arthritis is building on the momentum of the event to explore more opportunities to work together with politicians, healthcare professionals and service planners and commissioners to support people with MSK conditions. We are also working to capture what was delivered on the night as ‘Stories of Change’ in health service improvement.

Images from the event

What participants said

‘Wonderful event, a pleasure to have been given the opportunity to present, hopefully (we) can make some stronger connections with the Versus Arthritis team’

‘Well organised, great speakers, very useful taking info back to my colleagues’ 

‘Really good to hear and share learning- will try to implement some of these within practice’

‘I am hoping to take part in innovation and now feel I could contact some people who might be able to help/ participate’

‘Hopefully doing things together to improve the service/patient care- breaking down silos' 

‘Service improvement and motivation to get Versus arthritis more involved in our area’

‘Highlighting ways services innovate and partner with VA’

‘New initiatives and also being reminded about how useful Versus Arthritis programmes are!’ 

‘Always great to hear what other trusts are doing and to try and bring to your own team!’

‘Hearing from other clinical areas, networking and opportunity to showcase ongoing work’ 

Patient Voice feedback

‘It was amazing and I feel privileged to be a part of it’.

‘It was a real forum for our exhausted - but enthusiastic - rheumatology / medical teams to showcase amazing resilience and enthusiasm in the face of political and post-pandemic drift. Real links and understanding between VA and our health professionals. It was good to see so many presentations demonstrating how VA fits with and adds value to their work’.

Partner with us

Contact Anna Lyons, Professional Engagement Manager Northern Ireland, by email a.lyons@versusarthritis.org or professionalengagement@versusarthritis.org to explore partnership opportunities.

Contact John McCormick, Policy and Engagement Manager Northern Ireland, by email NIPolicy@versusarthritis.org to explore policy development and find out more about campaigns.