1. Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance
ARMA
Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance

3. ARMA is the Alliance providing a collective voice for the musculoskeletal (MSK) community in the UK. The Alliance is open to and brings together all professional bodies, patient-led and research charities for whom MSK is a priority. Our Vision, Mission and activities are determined and guided by our members. Our purpose is to facilitate collaborative working and to enable the MSK community to speak with a unified voice.

4. Vision and Mission
Vision: Our vision is that musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders are a priority in policy and practice in the UK
Mission: Our mission is to work collectively and collaboratively with our members and partners to achieve this vision.

5. Our Guiding Values. ARMA is:
Authoritative: We bring together patient-led, professional and research organisations, and will speak for all groups working to improve services for people with musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders. Our policies will be based on strong evidence and informed by all ARMA members and their stakeholders.
Inclusive: We value all of our members as integral parts of the ARMA community and work with a variety of stakeholders through memberships, partnerships and collaborations in order to safeguard and champion the interests of people with musculoskeletal disorders in healthcare.
Accountable: Our Board is elected by our members, who help set the strategic plan for ARMA and have regular opportunities to discuss and agree all relevant matters at the AGM and through regular CEO and policy group meetings.
Transparent: We have clear processes for our work, including our decision-making processes, utilising all appropriate means and communication tools. We have an open, transparent framework to guide our funding agreements.
Independent: We are a charity and umbrella organisation independent of government, industry and other organisations, and have a strong corporate partnership policy.

6. ARMA Strategic Plan
Everything we do is to ensure that:
MSK disorders are a priority in policy and practice in the UK
Knowledge
Knowledge into action
From community to movement
Capturing, interpreting and enabling the application of MSK knowledge
Influencing and raising awareness of MSK with decision-makers, practitioners and the public
Working in partnership to improve outcomes for MSK in key areas
Building a strong, diverse and vibrant MSK community
We will also ensure a financially secure, effective and sustainable ARMA

7. Musculoskeletal Burden of Disease
The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA), the voice of the musculoskeletal community in the UK, calls for urgent action to reduce the burden of disability
Musculoskeletal conditions are the greatest cause of disability in the UK according to a report by international experts, published in The Lancet on 5th March 2013.
In the first comprehensive study of the impact of all diseases and risk factors worldwide, musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions have the third greatest impact on the overall health of the population, considering both death and disability. This landmark study of the burden of all diseases provides indisputable evidence that musculoskeletal conditions are an enormous and increasing problem in the UK as well as globally, and need to be given the same priority for policy and resources as other major conditions like cancer, mental health and cardiovascular disease

8. We believe people have a right to:
Access to appropriate services for all people with musculoskeletal conditions
Timely diagnosis and treatment
Information
Services which are centered on the needs of users
Independence and self-determination

9. Standards of care
Arthritis and related musculoskeletal conditions affect one in 5 people in the UK, causing pain and disability. They can strike at any age, from infancy onwards. They cost society billions each year in health and social costs, lost employment, benefits; and they cost many individuals their independence and quality of life.
There are many myths about these conditions – but the most damaging of all is that nothing can be done.
Something can always be done – be it providing details of a local support group, or designing a service which means that people see the right specialist at the right time.
As part of ARMA’s Standards of Care project, a group of people with a range  of musculoskeletal conditions has come together to identify what needs to  happen in health services to enable them to minimise the pain and disability of  arthritis, and to help people remain independent.

10. Standards of care
They have suggested  reasonable expectations of care and services for all people with musculoskeletal conditions. People have a right to:
Access to appropriate services for all people with musculoskeletal conditions
Timely diagnosis and treatment
Information
Services which are centred on the needs of users
Independence and self-determination

11. Access to appropriate services for all people with musculoskeletal conditions
It is a stated aim of the NHS national plan that health services should be genuinely national, offering access to consistently high quality, timely and accessible services right across the country.
Everyone should have access to services and receive treatment and care on the basis of need. People should be treated as individuals and be provided with packages of care that meet their needs.
This means that health and social care partners need to work together to put people right at the centre. They need to listen to people’s views and act upon them; and they need to involve and support carers whenever necessary.

12. Services which are centred on the needs of users
Recent research and policy reviews have pointed the way to partnership and whole system working. Such systems are characterised as:
Services organised around the user.
Participants recognise that they are part of an interdependent system.
Participants have shared visions, objectives and resources.
Boundaries between organisations are seamless to the user.

13. Get in touch…
Write to: Bride House Bride Lane London EC4Y 8EE Tel: (0)