Health Professionals News

The British Institute of Musculoskeletal Medicine WINTER SYMPOSIUM “EXERCISE & MUSCULOSKELETAL MEDICINE – THE WAY FORWARD” DECEMBER 3rd 2016 Jurys Inn, Kings Road, Brighton BN1 2GS The meeting will not only focus on the concept of patient empowerment by the teaching of behavioural strategies to encourage both recovery from injury and the maintenance of good general or musculoskeletal health to the benefit of the individual and community resources but also where, how, when and by whom should MSK services be best delivered when homeostatic mechanisms break down and active intervention is required. 09:15  Introduction: “Phenotype Fit for the Future” – Dr. Rod MacDonald 09:30  Posture and Pain: The Alexander Technique – Carolyn Nicholls – The Alexander Technique is a sensory re-education, not a therapy. It can help people unravel the distortions of mind and body that may be contributing to chronic pain. How is it learned? What studies inform it? How can we help ourselves? 10:15  Novel Exercise Prescriptions to Promote Improved MSK Health in the Elderly – Dr. Shamim Akhtar – An introduction to the use of Taichi Shibashi for health and well being. 11:00 Coffee 11:15 Old Wine in New Bottles – NICE’s OA guidelines and what they mean in […]

Sussex MSK Partnership East (SMSKPE) has appointed a new Clinical Director, Dr Simon Thorp, who joined the service on September 6. Simon is a consultant anaesthetist and pain specialist and is bringing his knowledge and experience to further develop pain services in this area, as well as providing clinical support and direction to Sussex MSK Partnership East’s clinicians and administrative staff. He has been working at Brighton and Sussex University Hospital for over 20 years. He is also an honorary lecturer at Brighton and Sussex Medical School and brings with him a wealth of knowledge in pain management, orthopaedics and anaesthetics. Simon said: “I am delighted to be joining SMSKPE. My first priority is to meet with GPs, consultants and Extended Scope Practitioners. I want to listen to their views about the service and act on any issues raised. “My next priority is education. I plan to set up teaching programmes with Health Education Kent Sussex and Surrey and provide education which fits in with the stream of learning already happening across the NHS. “I am committed to continuing to develop the service and make sure we work together to provide the best care possible for our patients,” he said. […]

Sussex MSK Partnership East (SMSKPE) is the local NHS service for patients with musculoskeletal (MSK), Rheumatology and chronic pain conditions. We help people with diseases, injuries and pain relating to muscles, bones and joints. We are in the process of improving pain management services in EHS and HWLH CCGs What we offer now • Single point of referral through SMSKPE • Clinical triage • Choice between local providers for physiotherapy, psychoeducation, psychological support, medical intervention and psychological interventions What the full pathway will deliver • A single point of referral and clinical triage • Effective, evidence-based treatments with specialist clinicians • Support for GPs in their on-going care of patients especially those with long term conditions • Reduced waiting times for patients • Fewer referrals between providers How to refer patients for Pain Management • For new patients, please send referrals using eRS as per the standard SMSKPE process ( http://sussexmskpartnershipeast.co.uk/health-professionals/referral-process-guidelines/) • For patients who are already known to have a pain management concern and who require further review, please send referrals using eRS as per the standard SMSKPE process • For queries, please call our Patient Care Advisor Team on 0300 300 0003. We welcome your comments and involvement […]

Tennis is a great way to keep active and can be played by people of all ages.  But if it’s been a while since you last picked up a racquet, Steve Daly, Extended Scope Practitioner, has a few tips to help you enjoy your new found hobby without hurting yourself. Warm up and start off slowly As with any form of exercise or sport, it’s important to warm up your body gradually.  Starting off gently gets the blood pumping to your muscles, increasing the flow of oxygen and preparing them for activity. This is particularly important for a sport like tennis which involves lots of sprinting, leaping, stretching and pivoting.  These abrupt movements put a lot of sudden and unaccustomed pressure on muscles and ligaments and can cause the tissues to tear, but muscles that are warmed-up are more pliable and therefore less prone to injury. Tennis elbow is the injury that everyone’s heard of but elbows are not the only tennis injury. Ankles, knees, shoulders and wrists are all prone to injury if not warmed up properly. It’s important to do some gentle stretches to the muscles around all of these joints and also practice things like hopping and […]

Mr Ganesan is a Consultant Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon with East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust and a Consultant with Sussex MSK Partnership East’s Spine Service. He has a specialist interest in adult degenerative spinal disorders. What is your role with Sussex MSK Partnership East? I provide a service for patients with neck and spine conditions that need investigation and/or treatment by a specialist spine surgeon. Since October last year I have been running a regular clinic at Sussex MSK Partnership East’s Community Clinic located on Wartling Road, Eastbourne. What are the advantages of seeing patients in a community setting rather than in hospital? It’s a nicer setting – much smaller than the hospital, less crowded and therefore easier for patients to find where they are going, so many find it less stressful. There’s the added bonus that they don’t have to pay to park. Although one or two have been a bit surprised to see a Consultant Surgeon out of a hospital setting, in general they seem to appreciate the convenience of having an appointment closer to where they live or work. At what point in the patient’s journey do they see you? Most of the patients I see in […]

A new clinic has been set up at Quintin Medical Centre in Hailsham by Sussex MSK Partnership East, the local NHS service for patients with bone, joint and muscular problems. Patients have a 30 minute appointment with a specialist clinician known as an Extended Scope Practitioner (ESP). ESPs are physiotherapists who have advanced knowledge of musculoskeletal problems and work closely with orthopaedic, rheumatology and pain consultants. One of the first patients to be seen at the new clinic in Hailsham was Christine Ann Patrick who lives in Polegate. She has been having problems with her neck and shoulder following a riding accident last year and was referred for further investigation by her GP. She said: “After my GP referred me I expected to have to wait for ages and then go to the hospital in Eastbourne. But my appointment came through very quickly and it was very easy to get to Hailsham. It is also a lot more relaxing to come to a lovely medical centre like Quintin than attend a hospital clinic. “I had a half hour appointment with Matt Daly, Extended Scope Practitioner, who was extremely helpful and I feel reassured that I am getting the right advice […]

Sussex MSK Partnership East has appointed Geoff Bailey to the role of Managing Director.  He takes over the reins from Interim Managing Director, Stephen Cass. Geoff has 30 years’ experience in the healthcare sector, most recently with Nuffield Health where he headed up its Brighton Hospital.  He was previously based in Berlin as Head of Global Marketing for the pharmaceutical firm, Bayer. Although his career has taken him all over the world, Geoff grew up in Sussex and is delighted to have the opportunity to develop healthcare services in parts of his home county.  He said: “I am joining the Partnership at a very exciting time.  A lot of hard work has gone into creating the structure of the service so this next stage will focus on refining and development.  Key areas are working with providers to cut waiting times and opening more clinics in the community so that patients can see specialist MSK practitioners closer to where they live.” An early priority for Geoff is engaging with patients and the people who work in the local health community. He said: “I am looking forward to getting out to meet our patients and the health professionals who care for them.  […]

We are delighted to welcome Rheumatology Consultant Dr Ragnar Ingvarsson to Sussex MSK Partnership East.  He is dividing his time between the Partnership and Eastbourne DGH’s Rheumatology department, where he is running regular clinics. A key part of Ragnar’s role with Sussex MSK Partnership East is to help redesign Rheumatology services.  All Rheumatology referrals to Sussex MSK Partnership East are now reviewed by Ragnar, which helps to ensure that patients are offered appropriate treatment for their condition as soon as possible. Over the coming months Ragnar will be setting up Rheumatology clinics out in the community so that local patients can be seen, diagnosed and offered the treatment they need more quickly and closer to where they live. Ragnar began his medical studies in his native Iceland and went on to complete his training in Sweden. His most recent post was Consultant Rheumatologist at Lunds University Hospital in Sweden.  He has a specialist interest in Systemic Lupus and is leading a research project on its epidemiology in southern Sweden.  When he is not working Ragnar can often be found in the kitchen. An accomplished amateur chef, he has written two cook books and presented his own show on Icelandic TV […]

Extended Scope Practitioner (ESP) Matthew Carr, who specialises in spinal conditions, was invited by the Meridian Surgery in Peacehaven to give an education session on lower back pain to the GPs and practice nurses. His talk covered the taking of a subjective history, exploration of serious pathologies and making accurate and concise objective assessments. He also touched on psychosocial factors and how behavioural patterns associated with pain can be assessed and managed. Matthew commented: “Some 30% of GP appointments are for MSK related conditions and of those, around 40%-50% are for back pain. That’s a significant proportion of a GP’s workload, so most doctors and practice nurses have a lot of experience in this area. However, having just 10 minutes to assess a patient can be a challenge – this includes taking a subjective history as well as carrying out an objective assessment – so my aim was to provide some tips and tools for assessing a patient in a short time frame and determining the next steps for making an appropriate referral.” The group discussed serious pathologies, including referral of suspected Cauda Equina and how to rate the level of concerns of different red flags, which ones – or […]