Dr Rosemary Hollick - Building healthcare equity in MSK: lessons from the Celtic nations

This session will describe work across Wales and Scotland to support a person and place-based approach to service planning at local, regional and national levels for people living with a broad rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders (RMDs).  We will report findings from the RHEUMAPs study which sought to:

• Measure the prevalence of RMDs and health outcomes across different geographical areas in Scotland and Wales, using administrative healthcare data.
• Understand priorities for care for people living with a broad range of RMDs across the UK, and what components of services are important to meet these needs.
• Use this data to develop interactive digital maps to help inform local, regional, and national service planning and evaluation for people with RMDs.

Delegates will come away with evidence-based recommendations and tools to support person- and place-based care for people with RMDs, including better and sustainable use of national healthcare data, supported by lived experience data, to inform service planning and evaluation.

Dr Claire Benson and Anne Flynn - Rheumatology outpatient modernisation

This session will describe various initiatives to modernise the Belfast Health & Social Care Trust’s rheumatology outpatient service and address inequities in access to healthcare. The initiatives, which have involved collaboration with Versus Arthritis, include those aiming to:

• Support individuals waiting to be seen
• Reduce waiting times for those who need urgent care
• Maximise service efficiencies and capacity
• Improve patient experience

Participants will come away with a practical understanding of the Belfast Health & Social Care Trust’s rheumatology team’s efforts to modernise its outpatient service, which will have application in other outpatient settings.

Panel discussion chaired by Chris Martey