NHS Institute Launches Focus On: Musculoskeletal Interface Services

The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement has launched a new publication to support the NHS in improving community-based access to specialist services for patients suffering from musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions such as chronic back pain, osteoporosis and other bone, joint, spinal and muscular diseases.

The publication, Focus On: Musculoskeletal Interface Services, highlights the key characteristics of best practice for MSK interface services and is aimed at commissioner and provider organisations aiming to set up an MSK interface service or develop an existing service.

The improvements in MSK interface services detailed in the document have the potential to allow services to be redesigned to provide more care in the community and free up significant capacity in secondary care.

Sophie Cowley, the lead Associate from the NHS Institute said: “Musculoskeletal conditions frequently have an adverse influence on health and quality of life for many individuals and can limit daily activities. Recent statistics show that they are the most commonly reported type of work-related illness and take up more than 30 per cent of all GP consultations. They also result in the loss of an estimated 10.7 million working days in England.”

MSK disorders are extremely common and healthcare experts recognise that these services could be better managed across NHS. Traditionally access to good care in the community has been limited and access to secondary care restricted by long waiting times. In this context, multidisciplinary interface services are being developed to provide community-based access to specialist MSK services. These new models mean that patients can often avoid secondary care waits by being managed in the community and at the same time benefiting from a full range of physiological and psychological support.

Focus On: Musculoskeletal Interface Services was developed following months of research by the NHS Institute’s Delivering Quality and Value team. The team observed a selection of musculoskeletal interface services across England to identify characteristics of high quality care.

Robin Evans, NHS Institute’s Lead Clinician for the project and a Consultant Radiologist at Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust, Croydon explains: “The future of the modern NHS depends on redesigning cost effective pathways around the patient while maintaining high quality provision. These interface services are an excellent example of how this can be achieved for common musculoskeletal conditions. By sharing these key characteristics we aim to provide a roadmap for local development, but at the same time recognising that the detail of the changes will be dependant upon varying local circumstance and priorities.” – NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement