New Musculoskeletal service set to transform care for patients in Sussex

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, working alongside University Hospitals Sussex 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.

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.

Other planned improvements to Sussex MSK services, under this new contract, are:

· Better communication and information for patients to empower them to be in-charge of their own care and make informed choices about treatment options

· A more joined-up and coordinated care offering which breaks-down traditional barriers between organisations

· Streamlining access to care and advice: providing much more choice about how people can access care, and that services are available in their community when they need them

· Helping people to live and work well for longer and offer more personalised care, including supported self-management when they need it, via digital platforms

· A more concerted and systematic approach to reducing health inequalities and addressing variation in terms of access, waiting times and service provision.

· Offering a personalised model of delivery for outpatient appointments, including virtual appointments where clinically and personally appropriate (considering other factors relevant to the individual) and face-to-face appointments.

The new service’s specification is fully aligned to Sussex’s five-year health and care strategy, Improving Lives Together, by working to a new, joined-up, community-based approach to MSK care, by growing and developing the Sussex health and care workforce, by improving the use digital technology and information, and by maximising the power of partnership working across health and care organisations in Sussex.

The specification and awarding of the successful bid were developed with a range of different partners, including patient representatives and Healthwatch. The service contract is worth around £41m per year of the contract – which is for five years, with the option of two additional years after the initial five.

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. For example, in 2019-20, over 172,000 referrals were made to MSK services, which resulted in 225,000 community appointments and 67,000 referrals on to secondary care.

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.”

Mike Jennings, deputy chief executive at Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are incredibly pleased to have been awarded the new MSK contract which will allow us to work with our partners to provide consistent, high-quality care for those needing MSK services in West Sussex and Brighton and Hove.

“MSK conditions have a real impact on the health and wellbeing of our population and the new service aims to improve access, patient experience and support people to live well.”

Abi Turner, deputy director of operations - community health and integrated care division, at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (EHST), said: “ESHT and Horder Healthcare are pleased to have been awarded the new contract for the delivery of the MSK pathway for East Sussex.

“By adopting a population health-based approach across our communities, working with local health and wellbeing partners, we will deliver high-quality integrated MSK care to meet the needs of our population.”

Work is taking place at pace to implement changes which are required to develop the new service, which is due to go live on December 1.