Musculoskeletal (MSK)

Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions affect many people and can affect the joints, bones and muscles and sometimes associated tissues such as nerves. They can range from minor injuries to long-term conditions.

Transformation Board

The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System (ICS) has established a board to lead the transformation of musculoskeletal services across the county.

The board is made up of clinicians, patient representatives, voluntary sector organisations, researchers from Keele University, GPs, hospital managers and commissioning managers from the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB), and other partners within the ICS.

The group meets on a monthly basis to provide strategic leadership for the delivery of services, share learnings, and review the care offered to people with muscle and joint pain in our area (known as musculoskeletal pain). They ensure clinical care is based on the best evidence and aim to ensure we offer the best value for our population.

The board is responsible for delivering the NHS triple aim for adults with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions living in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. This means reducing inequalities in care, delivering high quality care based on research and ensuring resources are used wisely.

Keele University

Keele University’s world-leading research into musculoskeletal (MSK) health has an extensive range and includes the major research areas of osteoarthritis, musculoskeletal pain, inflammatory arthritis and osteoporosis. Research teams are multidisciplinary, and incorporate a wide array of different methods, from qualitative research to analysis of electronic medical records, and laboratory science to randomised controlled trials.

To find out more about Keele’s work, visit the Keele University website.

Providing support for people with back pain through an app: Self back

NHS England and Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System (ICS) have provided a funding opportunity for us to share an app to support people with low back pain.

Over the last two years a group of clinicians, researchers, patients and industry partners have been working to offer an app called SelfBack to people with back pain. The app has been developed by a Danish company and has been tested in a rigorous research trial. The research found the app was safe and effective in reducing pain and supported people to help manage their symptoms. Local patients said it was ‘like having a friend in your pocket’.

We have offered this to people following a consultation with either a First Contact Practitioner in primary care or through community physiotherapy and pain services. We currently have over 200 people registered and actively using the app to help them manage their back pain.

We now have plans to offer this to people who present to our emergency departments and to staff working within a large local acute trust.

We will be sharing our experiences and collecting the data open till March 2025 when as a group we will consider seeking further funding to offer the app in the future. We look forward to sharing the results with you.

NHS England’s Further Faster Handbook

MSK are happy to highlight and express our congratulations to Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICS, Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) and Keele MSK teams for getting two case studies into NHS England’s Further Faster Handbook.

You can read the draft handbook now on futures.

This handbook will be used to help systems across the country reduce their community wait times

The two case studies highlighted are:

• Telephone assessment and self-referral – Nicky Birch and Sarah Ormond

• Use of Self back app to support patients self-manage back pain – Kay Stevenson and Steph Gommersall

Case studies

Using Advice and Guidance to reduce the burden on patients and secondary care specialisms