SIX MSK PROJECTS SHARE NEAR-£2M POT

[THE NUFFIELD FOUNDATION AND VERSUS ARTHRITIS have committed £1.94m of funding to six new research projects that aim to improve the wellbeing and working lives of people with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions.

More than 20 million people –around a third of the UK population – have an MSK condition such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia and rarer conditions such as lupus. They are the greatest cause of pain and disability in the UK, affecting people’s ability to work, care for a family and live independently. MSK conditions also have a profound impact on society and the economy, leading to 28.4 million lost working days a year and accounting for the third largest area of NHS programme spending.

The new research grants are the second round of awards from the Nuffield Foundation’s Oliver Bird Fund, which is dedicated to improving the lives of people with MSK conditions.

The charity Versus Arthritis, which is contributing £250,000, is calling for more research into addressing MSK health inequalities by striving for better MSK health and care at home, in leisure, at work and in communities under the Living Well ambition in the charity’s research strategy.

The six projects will help deliver that ambition, as well as the person-focused principle of ensuring people with arthritis are active partners in research.

The partnership between Versus Arthritis and the Nuffield Foundation will put lived experience at the heart of the six projects, which are being carried out in five universities.

People living with MSK conditions will advise across the lifetime of the projects, from helping to develop tools and interventions to guiding researchers’ understanding of the needs of underserved communities. This will ensure that the research is highly relevant to real-world needs and issues.

Colin Wilkinson, a research partner at Versus Arthritis, said: “It can be difficult to understand the variety and range of ways arthritis affects people in their everyday lives because the 200-plus musculoskeletal conditions are all so different, just as we are all different.”

The projects have a common theme of how MSK conditions impact on people’s ability to live and work well, to inform policy and practice responses. They are:

The PAW Trial: feasibility and acceptability of the Pain-at-Work Toolkit, led by Professor Holly Blake (University of Nottingham, £338,000)

Arthritis, work and well-being: A mixed methods study with policy recommendations, led by Dr Adam Martin and Dr Sarah Kingsbury (University of Leeds, £300,000)

Remote osteoarthritis peermentorship for socioeconomically underserved people, led by Professor Gretl McHugh (University of Leeds, £266,000)

The Psychological, Social and Economic Impact of Musculoskeletal Conditions, led by Professor Andrew Steptoe (University College London, £288,000)

Juvenile onset rheumatic diseases: Education, vocational readiness and employment, led by Professor Suzanne Verstappen (University of Manchester, £402,000)

Extending working lives for people with musculoskeletal conditions, led by Dr Ross Wilkie (University of Keele, £345,000)

Dr Catherine Dennison, lead for the Oliver Bird Fund Programme at the Nuffield Foundation, explained: “These six research projects align around issues that can make it very challenging for people with MSK conditions to enjoy full and rewarding lives. We are really delighted to be partnering again with Versus Arthritis to fund research that aims to address some of these barriers and find new and better ways to support people with MSK conditions.” q