BSR Statement on the Musculoskeletal Services Framework

The British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) welcomes the publication of the Musculoskeletal Services Framework (MSSF). It is an important step in getting musculoskeletal conditions higher on the health agenda.

BSR President Dr Andrew Bamji commented: “The MSSF is a very welcome development, as it underlines the importance of musculoskeletal conditions and the need to manage them effectively and promptly.

We do have some concerns about the detail; in particular the Clinical Assessment and Treatment Services (CATS) must be controlled very carefully to avoid delays to patients, duplication of effort and unnecessary expense.

Rheumatology services across the UK have been extremely proactive in the science of referral management and we anticipate that rheumatologists will be at the centre of any effective triage process. We look forward to working with the government and Department of Health to ensure that all our aspirations for maintaining and improving clinical care can be met.“

For further information contact: 

Debbie Smith: dsmith@rheumatology.org.uk or (020) 7842 0915

Karishma Chandaria: kchandaria@rheumatology.org.uk or (020) 7842 0919

For a copy of the MSSF click here: http://www.18weeks.nhs.uk/public/default.aspx?load=ArticleViewer&ArticleId=449