Health and care partners across Sussex are delighted to announce that an innovative new Musculoskeletal (MSK) service is set to start for local people in December 2024.
This is the culmination of four years of work and engagement with many stakeholders across the Sussex health and care system to design a transformed, integrated, MSK service for patients in Sussex.
Following a robust procurement process, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, and Here, have been awarded a new contract to deliver MSK services in West Sussex and Brighton and Hove; and East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, working alongside Horder Healthcare will cover East Sussex.
At University Hospitals Sussex, this will mean that our current MSK physiotherapy service will transition to Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust.
The approach taken across Sussex is considered national best practice and is clear in its ambition to improve care and experience for local people.
The new service will see a fully integrated MSK pathway across primary, community and secondary care for orthopaedics, pain and rheumatology, and include services such as physiotherapy, diagnostics, and surgical treatment.
The new service will focus on improving access, experience, and outcomes for patients, with providers working together to ensure patients receive a consistent experience, feel supported throughout the whole pathway, and get the best treatment first time.
MSK conditions can affect joints, bones and muscles and sometimes associated tissues such as nerves. They can range from minor injuries to long-term conditions. Over 20 million people in the UK, almost one third of the population, have a MSK condition such as arthritis or back pain. Symptoms can include pain, stiffness, limited movement, and disability which affect quality of life and independence.
In Sussex, MSK services are in high demand, so the new service is an important step for providing quality services for local people.
Dr James Ramsay, chief medical officer at Sussex Integrated Care Board (ICB) said: “We look forward to launching a transformed service that will improve care and truly integrate services across Sussex for people across our communities in December, following the thorough procurement and contract-awarding process.
“The new service will help deliver our plans and ambitions to transform health and care services in Sussex, and the partners who will be providing MSK care are committed to delivering a seamless service for patients.
“As everybody works at pace to get the new service ready, all partners will be making sure it will be able to provide patients with a consistent experience, feel supported throughout their treatment, and get the best treatment first time.”
Work is taking place at pace to implement changes which are required to develop the new service, which is due to go live on 1 December 2024.
More information will be shared soon about how this change in service will affect the current MSK services at University Hospitals Sussex.