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Winter 2023/24

  • 4 March, 2024: ESCAPE-pain announced Active Charnwood as ‘Site of the month’ for February recognising their work with Charnwood Borough Council on a successful pilot delivering the ESCAPE-pain programme.
  • 22 February, 2024: ESCAPE-pain featured in Bromsgrove Standard article: Free pain relief sessions for those in need in Bromsgrove.
  • 21 February, 2024: ESCAPE-pain was promoted through an article in the Bromsgrove Advertiser: Free arthritis pain management courses offered throughout 2024.
  • 21 February, 2024: ESCAPE-pain was featured in an article via BNN: Bromsgrove Launches Free Courses to Combat Arthritis Pain Through Exercise and Education
  • 19 February, 2024: ‘This is my therapy’: The workout group helping reduce pressure on the NHS.
  • 15 February, 2024: ESCAPE-pain’s back pain programme was promoted through an article featured on Macclesfield Nub News: Macclesfield: Programme for back pain support to relaunch this month.
  • February, 2024: Mytime Active mentioned in Well Nation Magazine in Issue 2, pg. 8, for their work in the MSK Hubs project and delivery of the ESCAPE-pain programme.
  • 12 February, 2024: Mytime Active highlighted by Community Leisure UK for their involvement in the MSK Hubs project and delivery of the ESCAPE-pain programme.
  • 1 February, 2024: Current chairman of UKactive and former NHS leader, Mike spoke to the Telegraph, promoting the need for programmes like ESCAPE-pain (MSK hubs) to move NHS appointments to gyms and swimming pools to get patients back to work. Read the full article.
  • 1 February, 2024: ESCAPE-pain was mentioned in the Sunderland Echo, as a programme that is not only bringing a much needed health scheme to Wearside, but also helped add jobs.
  • 10 January, 2024: ESCAPE-pain provided information to aid the Westminster Hall debate on Musculoskeletal conditions and employment, chaired by Margaret Greenwood (MP Wirral West), Watch debate.
  • 20 December, 2023: ESCAPE-pain featured within ARMA’s newsletter for the paper discussing impact and value of community-based MSK care.

Autumn 2023

  • 30 November, 2023: ESCAPE-pain featured in news article for ITV Tonight special: New Knees & Hips: Britain’s Biggest Queue?
  • 26 November, 2023: ESCAPE-pain featured in article: Waiting Well patients: online guidance – North Norfolk District Council.
  • 22 November: ESCAPE-pain blog post: Unlocking Better Health: ESCAPE-pain programme featured in Chief Medical Officer’s annual report.
  • 8 November, 2023: ESCAPE-pain announced Huntingdonshire District Council as ‘Site of the month’ for October, to recognise their commitment to providing excellent community care.
  • 10 November, 2023: ESCAPE-pain mentioned in the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report for 2023, ‘Health in an Ageing Society’; as a tool to be used in maximising independence and minimising the time in ill health for people in England reaching older age ( 236).
  • 20 October, 2023: Cardiff and Vale University Health Board won the excellence in rehabilitation award at the ‘Advancing Healthcare Awards Cymru 2023’ for their live well service co-delivering psychologically informed, activity-based health behaviour change programmes, like their ESCAPE-pain programme, for people with Long Term Conditions. 
  • 2 October, 2023: Eastern Leisure Centre shortlisted by UK active for the ‘Local and Regional Centre of the Year’ award for their continued work with the NHS on the ESCAPE-pain programme, Cancer Rehab and Exercise Referral Schemes to reduce waiting lists. Read more.
  • 28 September, 2023: ESCAPE-pain announced East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) as ‘Site of the month’ for September, to recognise the years of hard work and dedication to improving patient care.

Summer 2023

  • 7 September, 2023: Redditch ‘ESCAPE-pain programme’ to launch this month reported by The Redditch Advertiser.
  • 7 September, 2023: ESCAPE-pain recommended as a great course for those suffering with chronic joint pain by Martin Russel within The Scarborough News article ‘Scarborough Sports Village to host vital blood pressure check in bid to reduce deaths’.
  • 6 September, 2023: ‘New ESCAPE-pain programme set to launch in Redditch’ reported by The Redditch Standard.
  • August, 2023: ESCAPE-pain featured alongside Orthopaedic Research UK, Good Boost, ukactive and Arthritis Action within the Department for Culture, Media & Sport’s ‘Get Active: A strategy for the future of sport and physical activity’ for the work on ‘Musculoskeletal hubs in the community’.
  • 23 August, 2023: Community Leisure UK featured High Life Highland for winning the ESCAPE-pain site of the month award in article; High Life Highland awarded ‘Site of the Month’ for impactful delivery of ESCAPE-pain programme.
  • 16 August, 2023: high Life Highland feature ESCAPE-pain’s ‘Site of the month’ in article; ‘High Life Highland awarded ‘site of the month’ for impactful delivery of ESCAPE-pain programme’.
  • 16 August, 2023: ESCAPE-pain programme launched in Tarka Leisure. Devon Live reported; ‘Tarka Leisure launches new exercise programme to help people with joint pain’. Read the full article. 
  • 14 August, 2023: ESCAPE-pain featured by leisure opportunities in article ‘Musculoskeletal rehab programmes are turning health clubs into health hubs’.
  • 03 August, 2023: ESCAPE-pain announced High Life Highland as ‘Site of the month’ for July, following the recognition of their ESCAPE-pain programme at the High Life Highland awards.
  • 06 July, 2023: ESCAPE-pain announced One Wight Health as ‘Site of the month’ for June, due to the fantastic implementation of ESCAPE-pain across the Isle of Wight.
  • 01 June, 2023: ESCAPE-pain announced Circadian Trust as ‘Site of the month’ for May for all their hard work and dedication to running the ESCAPE-pain programme.

Spring 2023

  • May, 2023: ESCAPE-pain mentioned by CIMPSA in their ReTrain to ReTain Project Report on page 17, within a Case Study discussing how the scheme helped implement ESCAPE-pain.
  • 10 May, 2023: ESCAPE-pain announce East Coast Community Healthcare CIC as ‘Site of the month’ for April, displaying the ongoing hard work from their team and fantastic feedback.
  • 24 April, 2023: ESCAPE-pain highlighted in a Case Study within CIMPSA’s ‘S&PA Professional Magazine Spring 2023‘ on page 11, discussing how the ReTrain to ReTain scheme helped implement ESCAPE-pain in different localities.
  • 30 March, 2023: ESCAPE-pain awarded Cardiff and Vale University Health Board as ‘Site of the month’ for March. The award highlighted the teams hard work in empowering participants to build a network of support, helping them to live well and self-manage conditions within communities.
  • 20 March, 2023: ESCAPE-pain highlighted as a method of prevention for negative impacts of MSK conditions in ARMA’s ‘MSK Service Improvement Key Messages’. 
  • 20 March, 2023: ESCAPE-pain featured in The Kings Fund’s Health and Wellbeing Bulletin, as a case study within Sport England’s ‘Active Ageing and Tackling Inactivity and Economic Disadvantage Programmes: Final Evaluation Report’.

Winter 2022/23

  • 25 February, 2023: ESCAPE-pain awarded Everybody Health and Leisure as ‘Site of the Month’, recognising their 5 years of hard work and dedication to the ESCAPE-pain programme.
  • 22 February, 2023: ESCAPE-pain and Orthopaedic Research UK support UK Active and leading bodies for health, sport, fitness and leisure, in urging the Prime Minister to intervene as grassroots facilities face ‘final straw’ if energy relief ends. Read the full press release.
  • 15 February, 2023: ESCAPE-pain featured in ARMA’s February Newsletter: ‘ESCAPE-pain part of framework to reduce community MSK waits’.
  • 15 February, 2023: ESCAPE-pain featured in ARMA’s February Newsletter: MSK Health inequalities resource page in MSK Health Equalities – Report of Roundtable.
  • 15 February, 2023: ESCAPE-pain featured in ARMA’s February Newsletter: Trailblazing Pilot Sees Musculoskeletal Programme Expand to 100 Leisure Centres as ukactive Ramps Up Activity Therapy Service.
  • 02 February, 2023: ESCAPE-pain featured on Leisure Opportunities website: Musculoskeletal health hub pilot expands to 100 sites as MSK cost to UK hits £5bn a year.
  • 31 January, 2023: ESCAPE-pain referenced within ARMA’s ‘Understanding musculoskeletal health for social prescribing’ Webinar.
  • 31 January, 2023: ESCAPE-pain featured on Club Industry’s website: Trailblazing Pilot Sees Musculoskeletal Programme Expand to 100 Leisure Centres as ukactive Ramps Up Activity Therapy Service.
  • 31 January, 2023: ESCAPE-pain featured in ukactive’s press release: Trailblazing pilot sees musculoskeletal programme expand to 100 leisure centres as ukactive ramps up activity therapy service
  • 19 January, 2023: ESCAPE-pain launch new blog page, beginning with a recap of the ESCAPE-pain together event on the 8 December 2022.
  • 12 January, 2023: ESCAPE-pain featured on Moray Council’s news page, alerting the community of upcoming ESCAPE-pain courses for people living with chronic knee, hip, and back pain.
  • 10 January, 2023: ESCAPE-pain mentioned in NHS England’s publication: An improvement framework to reduce community musculoskeletal waits while delivering best outcomes and experience.
  • 19 December, 2022: ESCAPE-pain announce Healthiness Ltd as December’s ‘Site of the Month‘.
  • 8 December, 2022: ESCAE-pain hold annual conference: ESCAPE-pain together. Recording of event.

Autumn 2022

  • 28 November 2022: ESCAPE-pain ‘Site of the month’ featured in Wokingham Borough Council’s ‘Sport, Leisure and Health’ newsletter.
  • 24 November 2022: ESCAPE-pain announce Wokingham Borough Council as November’s ‘Site of the Month’.
  • 15 November 2022: Michael Hurley, Clinical Director of ESCAPE-pain, attended ‘Healthy Ageing UK 2022’ and spoke on a panel discussing ‘Overcoming challenges in the Fitness and Leisure Sector’. Watch here.
  • 31 October 2022: ESCAPE-pain announce Age UK Somerset as October’s ‘Site of the Month‘.
  • 24 October 2022: ESCAPE-pain featured in article, “People have more confidence to manage their musculoskeletal conditions thanks to exercise programme”.
  • 19 October 2022: ESCAPE-pain mentioned in a press release by Welsh Government. Patients boosted by innovations in musculoskeletal health: New and improved methods of managing Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions such as osteoporosis and arthritis are benefitting people across Wales
  • October 2022: Read our ESCAPE-pain October 2022 Newsletter.
  • 9 October 2022: ESCAPE-pain ‘Site of the month’ featured in article, “Orthopaedic Research UK gives national recognition to East Riding Leisure for its ESCAPE-pain programme”.
  • 6 October 2022: Margaret Mathieson, from the ESCAPE-pain team at High life Highland, won the ‘Public Nomination Award’ at the High life Highland Staff Awards (Watch from 1:24).
  • 6 October 2022: The ESCAPE-pain High life Highland Team receive the ‘Innovation Award’ for their ESCAPE-pain programme at the High life Highland Staff Awards (Watch from 1:24).
  • 5 October 2022: ESCAPE-pain ‘Site of the month’ featured in article, “National recognition for ESCAPE-pain programme at East Riding Leisure”.
  • September, 2022: ESCAPE-pain featured as a case study within Sport England’s ‘Active Ageing and Tackling Inactivity and Economic Disadvantage Programmes: Final Evaluation Report’, as an example of support tools for people living with Long term conditions.
  • 15 September 2022: ESCAPE-pain announce East Riding Leisure as September’s ‘Site of the month‘.

Summer 2022

Spring 2022

  • 27 May 2022: ESCAPE-pain featured in article, “Isle of Wight Initiative to tackle chronic pain” featured by the Isle of Wight County Press.
  • 12 May 2022: ESCAPE-pain featured in article and video, “Group movement and education programme changing Isle of Wight Lives” featured by the Isle of Wight Radio.
  • 10 May 2022: Watch the video “Enabling people with osteoarthritis to self-manage their condition” demonstrating ESCAPE-pain’s impact, created by Kingston University London. 
  • 10 May 2022: ESCAPE-pain featured as an impact case study, “Enabling people with osteoarthritis to self-manage their condition through a pioneering rehabilitation programme” by Kingston University London.
  • 04 May 2022: ESCAPE-pain featured in, “Social prescribing and musculoskeletal conditions, a guide for link workers and social prescribing services” within the ARMA newsletter, May edition.
  • 04 May 2022: ESCAPE-pain featured, “ARMA core offer for musculoskeletal conditions” in ARMA newsletter, May edition.
  • 20 April 2022: ESCAPE-pain featured, “Residents in Newcastle and Gateshead benefit from Tyneside Integrated Musculoskeletal Service’s innovative rehabilitation programme”, on the News Anyway website.

Winter 2021/22

  • 14 February 2022: Watch ESCAPE-pain participant stories captured from Tyneside Integrated Musculoskeletal Services (TIMS)
  • 10 February 2022: Read our ESCAPE-pain Winter 21/22 Newsletter.
  • 12 January 2022: ESCAPE-pain featured, “Escape Pain programmes available throughout Moray”, on the Moray Council website.
  • 7 January 2022: ESCAPE-pain featured on the Kingston University website and provided as an example, within their Knowledge Exchange, of working with the public and health sector.
  • 14 December 2021: ESCAPE-pain article, “Escaping pain: the role of self-care in joint pain management”, featured on the News-Medical.net website.

Autumn 2021

  • 18 November 2021: ESCAPE-pain article, “Pioneering pain rehabilitation programme from Kingston University and St George’s, University of London scoops further recognition at national awards”, featured on the Healthcare Newsdesk website.
  • 18 November 2021: ESCAPE-pain article, “Pioneering pain rehabilitation programme from Kingston University and St George’s, University of London scoops further recognition at national awards”, featured on the London Post website.
  • 10 November 2021: ESCAPE-pain featured in the article, “Pain management programme wins Self Care Innovation Award”, announcing ESCAPE-pain as winner of this year’s Self Care Innovation Award by the Self Care Forum, on the Patient Information Forum website.
  • 8 November 2021: ESCAPE-pain programme awarded the 2021 ‘Self Care Innovation Award‘ and featured on the Self Care Forum website, “Pain management programme wins Self Care Innovation Award”.
  • 5 November 2021: ESCAPE-pain referenced in the article, ‘Medical Matters: Things you can do to help manage your hip or knee condition while you await surgery’ published by Torbay Weekly.
  • 26 October 2021: ESCAPE-pain referenced in the article, ‘How to use your phone to stay happy and healthy: New review says doctors recommend medical apps far less often to older patients’ published on the Daily Mail website.
  • 5 October 2021: Read our Autumn newsletter.
  • 30 September 2021: ESCAPE-pain referenced in ARMA’s: ‘MSK Health Equalities Report of Roundtable’.

Summer 2021

  • 20 August 2021: ESCAPE-pain referenced in the article, ‘Right Care, Right Place, Right Time – Collaborative Working for Innovation and Change’ published on the Government of Ireland Department of Health website.
  • 10 August 2021: ESCAPE-pain paper published. Read “Providing easier access to community-based healthcare for people with joint pain: Experiences of delivering ESCAPE-pain in community venues by exercise professionals” to understand why community-based providers want to deliver ESAPE-pain and how they have sustained the programme.
  • 20 July 2021: ESCAPE-pain featured as a case study in the North Yorkshire Sport ‘Impact Report 2020/21: A year of lockdown, inequalities, and community’. The report shares the ways in which North Yorkshire Sport have made a difference to people and places, using sport and physical activity as a driver for positive change across the county. (Page 24)
  • 10 June 2021: ESCAPE-pain included in a Versus Arthritis campaign, ‘Supporting people with arthritis waiting for surgery’. The campaign’s objective is to ensure that the needs of people with arthritis are prioritised by policymakers as plans for the COVID-19 recovery are developed. The report sets out a six-part support package to help to meet the needs of people with arthritis who are on surgery waiting lists in England. The guide was designed for MSK leads at ICSs, PCNs, musculoskeletal interface services and providers of orthopaedic surgery. Campaign also featured in the Patient Safety Learning Hub.
  • June 2021: ESCAPE-pain referenced in the National Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) Impact Report for 2020-2021.

Spring 2021

  • 28 May 2021: Read our Spring newsletter.
  • 25 May 2021: ESCAPE-pain article on the Sirona care & and health website, ‘Virtual exercise programme helps people cope with chronic pain’.
  • 15 May 2021: ESCAPE-pain featured in article in Meath Chronicle, ‘Arthritis patients step up treatment with online classes’.
  • 3 May 2021: ESCAPE-pain blog, ‘Sustaining and leading ESCAPE-pain in the East Midlands’, featured on the East Midlands AHSN website.
  • 30 April 2021: ESCAPE-pain cited in an article, ‘The National ReferAll Database: An Open Dataset of Exercise Referral Schemes Across the UK’ in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Steele, J.; Wade, M.; Copeland, R.J.; Stokes, S.; Stokes, R.; Mann, S.
  • 27 April 2021: Read the article, ‘Take exercise, not tablets – that’s NICE advice’, by Professor Mike Hurley, originator of the ESCAPE-pain programme, on the ukactive website, where he discusses the importance of exercise in supporting the NHS and GPs.
  • 27 April 2021: ESCAPE-pain mentioned in @MDTea_podcast season 10 episode 4 (22.38 minutes in). Listen to Iain Wilkinson, Jo Preston, Sophie Norman, Helen Linklater and Tracy Szekely talk about Osteoarthritis and how we can offer treatment in line with NICE guidelines.
  • 15 April 2021: ESCAPE-pain mentioned in an article from Kingston University on the News Medical Life Sciences website, ‘Rehabilitation science expert welcomes exercise recommendations for people with chronic pain’.
  • 9 April 2021: ESCAPE-pain mentioned in an article from Kingston University on the Medical Xpress website, ‘Exercise recommendations for people with chronic pain’.

Winter 2020/21

  • 9 March 2021: ESCAPE-pain mentioned in @heyOApodcast episode 33 (6.14 minutes in). Listen to Laura Campbell, Laura Swaithes, Dr. Jonathan Quicke and Dr. Krysia Dziedzic talk about their work, at the Keele Impact Accelerator Unit, buidling a repository of online osteoarthritis management programmes in response to Covid-19.
  • 4 March 2021: ‘March client of the month’ – read this news story about Jacqui Simpson from the Livewell service run by Derby City Council. A big birthday prompted Jacqui to re-evaluate her lifestyle and take charge of her painful osteoarthritis.
  • 17 December 2020: ESCAPE-pain case study ‘Supporting people with chronic joint pain: Virtual delivery of ESCAPE-pain classes’, included on the Academic Health Science Network website to illustrate how AHSNs are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and supporting our NHS and social care partners.
  • 7 December 2020: NHSX shares digital playbooks containing case studies including ESCAPE-pain. The new digital playbooks released by NHSX contain more than 90 case studies of how technology is being used to solve clinical challenges.​

Autumn 2020

  • 30 November 2020: ESCAPE-pain news post on HEE e-Learning for Healthcare website, ‘ESCAPE-pain – supporting people with chronic joint pain’.
  • 20 November 2020: ESCAPE-pain article on East Midlands AHSN website, ‘EMAHSN programme for chronic joint pain delivered virtually during pandemic’.
  • 20 November 2020: Read our newly published Autumn Newsletter.
  • 18 November 2020: ESCAPE-pain article, ‘The Yorkshire exercise programme helping osteoarthritis sufferers’, in the Yorkshire Post.
  • 18 November 2020: ESCAPE-pain post, ‘Self Care Week: How the ESCAPE-pain improved Marian’s quality of life’, on Yorkshire & Humber AHSN website.
  • 2 November 2020: ESCAPE-pain article in the South West Londoner, ‘Pain rehabilitation program adds to awards collection despite restrictions’.
  • 27 October 2020: ESCAPE-pain provider Healthiness Ltd receive Prime Minister ‘Point of Light Award‘ for Fitness Classes in Liverpool.
  • 15 October 2020: ESCAPE-pain article in the Southwark News, ‘New Programme to manage joint paint with exercise wins award after helping 20,000 people’.
  • 9 October 2020: Professor Mike Hurley interviewed on ‘Riverside Reports’, Riverside Radio’s News Show which reports on stories from Wandsworth, Merton, Richmond and Lambeth. The interview begins roughly 8 minutes into the show.
  • 5 October 2020: ESCAPE- pain article, ‘Pioneering pain rehabilitation programme from Kingston University and St George’s, University of London scoops Health Service Journal award’ on the Kingston University website.
  • October 2020: ESCAPE-pain included in the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) microsite which features each NIA innovation and how they address COVID/NHS recovery. The aim of the site is to provide a single place where those interested in finding solutions and adopting innovation can visit, easily identify what is available that addresses the problems they face, and find contact details to continue the conversation about implementation.

Summer 2020

  • 22 September 2020: ESCAPE-pain featured on Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) website, ‘Pain self-management programme wins prestigious national award’.
  • 16 September 2020: ESCAPE-pain post, ‘Innovative exercise programme to help people with joint pain stay active is commissioned in East Riding’, on Yorkshire & Humber AHSN website.
  • 4 September 2020: ESCAPE-pain programme awarded ‘MSK Care Initiative of the Year‘ at the HSJ Value Awards 2020.
  • 19 August 2020: Read our newly published Summer Newsletter.
  • 17 August 2020: ESCAPE-pain launch new, free and interactive e-learning resources to support prospective ESCAPE-pain sites and providers. Developed with Health Education England e-Learning for Healthcare, the resources were commissioned by the Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) to support the legacy of the national programme.
  • 11 August 2020: ESCAPE-pain included in a respositary of interventions, Online Osteoarthritis Management Programmesidentified by the Joint Effort Initiative Implementation Group (endorsed by Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) as a response to the covid-19 situation. The repository provides stakeholders and organisations with access to online, evidence based, international OA management programmes (OAMPs). The repository provides solutions for healthcare professionals seeking to access and signpost patients with OA to remote, high-quality programmes that do not require face to face contact. It also provides healthcare practitioner resources for online training in delivering OA management programmes.
  • 5 August 2020: Professor Mike Hurley quoted in Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) piece, ‘NICE recommends a non-pharmacological approach to managing chronic pain’.

Spring 2020

  • 26 June 2020: ESCAPE-pain highlighted in a message from the British Orthopaedic Association to people waiting for joint replacement and other orthopaedic surgery.
  • 28 May 2020: ESCAPE-pain is mentioned in ‘Understanding the provision of occupational health and work-related musculoskeletal services‘ (page 37). The report presents the findings from research commissioned by the Work and Health Unit (WHU), to map the current provision of occupational health (OH) in the UK and review work-related musculoskeletal (MSK) services in the NHS.
  • 4 May 2020: Read our Spring Newsletter.
  • 4 May 2020: Read our full report on ‘Scaling-up ESCAPE-pain: An evaluation of an AHSN Network national programme‘, produced by Dr Andrew Walker, the programme’s Deputy Clinical Director. The purpose of the evaluation was to investigate the factors influencing the national spread of ESCAPE-pain, to build knowledge about the theory and practice of implementing interventions at scale within healthcare settings. Short on time? Read the summary version.
  • 30 April 2020: ESCAPE-pain article on Health Innovation Network (HIN) website, ‘ESCAPE-pain resources to support people with chronic joint pain during COVID- 19’.
  • 28 April 2020: Read our article ‘Scaling-up an evidence-based intervention for osteoarthritis in real-world settings: a pragmatic evaluation using the RE-AIM framework‘ published in Implementation Science Communications, an inclusive and multidisciplinary journal, welcoming studies on strategies across the implementation continuum – from planned implementation to evaluations of implementation efforts and natural experiments to planned de-implementation of practices without clear evidence of benefit.
  • 23 April 2020: Healthiness Ltd – are delivering 15 live online classes per week via their Facebook page as well as uploading 8 different classes onto YouTube for participants to follow. They have been delivering a mixture of sessions from chair-based exercise, Better Balance, Dance, Tone and Boxercise as well as 2 x ESCAPE-pain sessions per week. You can find out more information on their website or follow them on Twitter @LivHealthiness.
  • 15 April 2020: ‘Helping people stay active in the time of Covid-19’, ESCAPE-pain post on the British Nordic Walking website.
  • 7 April 2020: ESCAPE-pain Online included in Versus Arthritis advice on ‘How to manage your pain at home’.
  • 1 April 2020: ESCAPE-pain is ​referenced in the new resources published by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) to support people self-managing their musculoskeletal conditions. These resources are supported by NHS England and NHS Improvement as part of the MSK leadership group which also includes the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA), the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR), the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Versus Arthritis and the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA).
  • 1 April 2020: ESCAPE-pain Facebook page launched to support the ESCAPE-pain community.
  • 23 March 2020: Watch the Everybody ESCAPE-pain Online Home Workout – Everybody Sport and Recreation are trying to help and support people during the current difficult situation. They are providing online ESCAPE-pain exercise session workouts, usually delivered in their leisure centres, for people with chronic pain of the knee and hip. Find them on YouTube.
  • 4 March 2020: ‘ESCAPE-pain gives Crewe resident her smile back’ – read about Gail’s experience of the ESCAPE-pain programme and how it helped improve her quality of life.
  • 3 March 2020: ESCAPE-pain programme has been shortlisted for the 2020 HSJ Value Award in the Clinical and Medical Services category of ‘MSK Care Initiative of the Year’.
  • 3 March 2020: Listen to David Easton, ESCAPE-pain Clinical Champion for Wales, discuss ESCAPE-pain on Pain Concern’s radio programme Airing Pain that brings together people with chronic pain and top specialists to talk about resources which can help. David is featured in Episode 121: ‘Living with Persistent Pain in Wales’ from 17.30 minutes onwards.

Winter 2019/20

  • 24 February 2020: ‘Around 5,000 patients accessed UHMBT’s integrated musculoskeletal service last year’ – ESCAPE-pain is mentioned in this article in the Cumbria Crack. Read more about this patient-centred service for people with musculoskeletal problems.
  • Wessex AHSN published their ESCAPE-pain Winter newsletter.
  • 7 February 2020: ‘No knee jerk reaction to going for surgery in Morecambe Bay’ – read in the Lancaster Guardian how Physiotherapists across Morecambe Bay are using a framework based on the nationally developed ‘Shared Decision Making’ programme to help support patients with hip and knee pain to make the right decision about their treatment.
  • 31 January 2020: See Professor Mike Hurley’s ‘Letter to the Editor‘ in the Economist in response to the recent article on back pain, ‘Backs to the future’, on the 18th January.
  • 28 January 2020: ESCAPE-pain featured as an article ‘Stay active during the colder months’ on the Cheshire East Council website.
  • 14 January 2020: Pain management programme expands in Portsmouth – read how the ESCAPE-pain programme is being made available to help even more people thanks to a positive response from local residents who have already benefitted from it.
  • 29 December 2019: ESCAPE-pain featured as an article in the Worcester News, ‘Beat the January blues with new exercise class’.
  • 26 December 2019: ESCAPE-pain featured in the Redditch Standard, ‘New classes for people with arthritis to launch in Redditch’.
  • 22 December 2019: ESCAPE-pain featured as an article in the Bromsgrove Advertiser, ‘Help for osteoarthritis sufferers in Bromsgrove’.
  • 12 December 2019: ESCAPE-pain article ‘A programme to empower people to manage their musculoskeletal conditions has expanded to Carnforth’ featured on the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust website.

Autumn 2019

  • November 2019: Featured within the article ‘Overcoming major challenges with innovative solutions’ in the Occupational Therapy News (OTnews) November Issue on page 52. The magazine is the official monthly magazine of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) and membership is required to access the full article.
  • 27 November 2019: Featured article in the Westmorland Gazette, ‘Physiotherapists running programme to help patients self-manage joint pain’.
  • Mentioned in a piece in the Wellston Journal by pain expert, Jonathan Gornall, ‘How you can beat pain’.
  • 22 November 2019: Guest blog on Wessex AHSN website from ESCAPE-pain facilitator Chloe Davanna, Sport & Physical Activity Officer at Winchester City Council. Chloe explains the ease of implementing the ESCAPE-pain programme at a Winchester leisure centre.
  • 14 November 2019: Featured article in the Cumbria Crack, ‘Physiotherapists are helping local people to manage their musculoskeletal conditions’.
  • 14 November 2019: Featured as a news item on the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust website ‘Physiotherapists are helping local people to manage their musculoskeletal conditions’.
  • 13 November 2019: ESCAPE-pain blog ‘Arthritis sufferer wins Customer Hero award at the Everybody Awards after joining ESCAPE-pain programme.’
  • 9 November 2019: ESCAPE-pain participant case study featured in the Saints V Everton football match programme.
  • 7 November 2019: ESCAPE-pain class in Portsmouth featured in the Community Leisure UK newsletter.
  • 1 November 2019: The Physiotherapy Department of East Coast Community Healthcare CIC won an Innovation Award for their delivery of the ESCAPE-pain programme at their organisation’s staff awards for 2019.
  • October 2019: Featured in the Arthritis Action website directory for ‘Exercise and Activity’.
  • October 2019: News article on Health Innovation Network (HIN) website ‘ESCAPE-pain trains 1000 facilitators to help people living with osteoarthritis in boost to out-of-hospital care’.
  • 24 October 2019: ESCAPE-pain featured as an article on the St George’s, University of London website – ‘NHS includes award-winning pain rehabilitation programme in its long term plan’.
  • 24 October 2019: “ESCAPE-pain trains 1000 facilitators to help people living with osteoarthritis in boost to out-of-hospital care”. This month the ESCAPE-pain programme trained its 1000th facilitator. Read more about the milestone.
  • 18 October 2019: News article ‘ESCAPE-pain rehabilitation comes to Portsmouth’ on the Express FM (local Portsmouth radio station) website.
  • 18 October 2019: ESCAPE-pain featured on Express FM (local Portsmouth radio station) during the breakfast show when Mason Jordan interviewed Jane, an ESCAPE-pain participant from Mountbatten Leisure Centre, and Emma George, Health and Fitness Manager from BH Live Active. During the evening show Chris Pearce interviewed Marion Gower, a physiotherapist from Solent NHS Trust. BH Live Active and Solent NHS Trust are co-delivering the programme to local Portsmouth residents. Listen to Emma and Jane’s interview.
  • 11 October 2019: Featured on AHSN Network website as a news article.
  • 11 October 2019: Featured on the Health Innovation Manchester website, ‘ESCAPE-pain offers new approach for people living with arthritis in Greater Manchester for awareness week’.
  • 11 October 2019: BBC news broadcast a special feature on ESCAPE-pain as part of National Arthritis Week. BBC London interviewed Professor Mike Hurley and ESCAPE-pain participant, Regina Yillah. ESCAPE-pain was featured on both the morning and evening programmes.
  • 9 October 2019: Hear Professor Mike Hurley in this podcast ‘ESCAPE-pain to the country – sunny Famous Five story or Grimm fairy tale?’.
  • 30 September 2019: ESCAPE-pain featured in a Daily Mail supplement on Arthritis. Read the full supplement.
  • 30 September 2019: Featured on the Medical Life Sciences News website – ‘Kingston University’s award-winning rehabilitation program receives national recognition’.
  • 19 September 2019: ESCAPE-pain featured in Issue 26 of Innov-age Magazine, “Helping people with knee, hip and back pain understand how to manage their problems by being physically active” (Pages 4-7). Innov-age is a free magazine developed to raise awareness and share best practice for older people. It is aimed at clinicians, healthcare professionals, academics, people working with older people and anyone with an interest in the issues surrounding caring for older people.

Summer 2019

  • 27 August 2019: “Six-week Winyates course to showcase new ways to escape pain” – read all about the next ESCAPE-pain programme starting up in early September in the Redditch Standard.
  • 25 August 2019: Hear Professor Mike Hurley talk about ESCAPE-pain on the AHSN Network Innovation Exchange podcast. Episode 1 ‘Healthy Ageing’ explores the challenges facing our health and care service in relation to ageing.
  • 24 August 2019: “Scheme to help beat pain in long-term sufferers continues in Redditch” – read all about the delivery of the ESCAPE-pain programme in Redditch covered by the Halesowen News, the Redditch & Alcester Advertiser and the Kidderminster Shuttle.
  • 20 August 2019: Hear Professor Mike Hurley speak about the ESCAPE-pain programme on BBC Suffolk Radio.
  • 19 August 2019: ‘New programme rolling out across Norfolk’ – read on the KL FM website how ESCAPE-pain is expanding into Norfolk.
  • 15 August 2019: ““I’m feeling good, better than I was, and it’s all through exercise.” ESCAPE-pain participant Ken interviewed for a Versus Arthritis case study.
  • August 2019: ESCAPE-pain featured in the Versus Arthritis Network News newsletter.
  • 13 August 2019: “ESCAPE-pain programme reaches 200 UK sites”. This month the ESCAPE-pain programme launched its 200th site in the UK. It now operates in every region in England, with sites also operating in Wales and Northern Ireland. Over 13,000 people have attended the programme to date. Read more about the programme.
  • 18 July 2019: ‘Holmes Chapel pensioner transforms her life with ESCAPE-pain class’ – read how Joan Allard transformed her quality of life in the Knutsford Guardian.
  • 3 July 2019: ‘New service introduced for Osteoarthritis patients in borough’ – Read the Richmond and Twickenham Times’ news piece on the local upcoming ESCAPE-pain sites.
  • July 2019: Featured in the monthly ARMA newsletter (see under ‘member posts).
  • 25 June 2019: Featured on the ARMA website, ‘Case study of improved mobility and independence’.
  • 20 June 2019: ESCAPE-pain is proud to be listed in the new guidance launched by Public Health England, NHS England and Versus Arthritis on ‘Musculoskeletal health: 5 year prevention strategic framework’.
  • 13 June 2019: Read the News article from ‘News Post Leader’ – ‘New Northumberland exercise classes to help ease arthritis – New exercises classes have been launched to help residents struggling with arthritis or osteoarthritis.’
  • 7 June 2019: ‘Harrogate arthritis sufferer hails ‘active’ scheme’ – Listen back to Jill Quinn’s interview with on Stray FM where she talks about her experience of the ESCAPE-pain programme and how it has turned her life around.
  • June 2019: ESCAPE-pain is featured in the AHSN Network impact report 2018/19.
  • June 2019: Read the ESCAPE-pain case study in the new AHSN Network magazine – The Innovators. The magazine draws together insights and learning on how healthcare innovation is transforming lives.
  • June 2019: ESCAPE-pain featured in recently launched NHS Innovation Acceleration brochure. (page 37)

Spring 2019

Winter 2018/19

  • 18 February 2019: West of England Academic Health Science Network published a blog by ESCAPE-pain Project Manager, Megan Kirbyshire ‘Taking a step outside of the clinical bubble’.
  • 5 February 2019: ESCAPE-pain was included in the The Saints Foundation / Wright Foundation Pathway to Health arthritis project. Tackling Arthritis with Exercise at Saints Foundation Pathway to Health.
  • 4 February 2019: ESCAPE-pain Gujarati story featured in February 2019 Academic Health Science Network newsletter.
  • 16 January 2019: ESCAPE-pain referenced in a news article, ‘NHS plan: direct and specific references to physiotherapy’ on pages 8-9 in Volume 25, Issue 2 of Frontline (the physiotherapy magazine for CSP members). You may need to subscribe to access the full issue.
  • 7 January 2019: ESCAPE-pain class at the Barbara Castle Way Health Centre, run by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust in Blackburn, was featured in a BBC news bulletin at 1pm, by BBC health correspondent, Dominic Hughes. In the context of the newly launched NHS Long Term Plan, the piece goes on to say how the class will ease pressure on other parts of the health service and how this will be a key feature for the future plans of the NHS.
  • 7 January 2019: ESCAPE-pain participants at the Barbara Castle Way Health Centre run by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust in Blackburn were featured in a BBC Radio 4 news bulletin at 6pm, by BBC health correspondent, Dominic Hughes.
  • December 2018: ESCAPE-pain article featured in the 2018 Autumn/Winter edition of Agility, the Chartered Physiotherapists working with Older People journal. The theme of this edition was ‘Active Ageing’ and our article ‘Tackling inactivity in older adults with chronic joint pain through community and leisure partnerships’ featured on pages 18-21. The journal articles are member only and you must subscribe directly to Agility for full access.

Autumn 2018

Summer 2018

  • 7 August 2018: Dr Paul Bowen, a GP in Cheshire, talks about the ESCAPE-pain programme that is being delivered in his local area, and how it can help improve the lives of people living with osteoarthritis/chronic joint pain. Read the full news article.
  • 24 July 2018: ESCAPE-pain identified as one of the top 5 case studies in a RAND Europe report commissioned by Public Health England to review the current landscape of health and wellbeing interventions available to employers.
  • July 2018: ESCAPE-pain featured in NIHR themed review of musculoskeletal recommendations – The programme has been showcased in the latest NIHR Dissemination Centre report ‘Moving Forward’. The report highlights the importance of physiotherapy in improving and reducing the negative effects associated with musculoskeletal conditions. ESCAPE-pain has been commended for its improvement of patient-care and its encouragement of self-care.
  • 28 June 2018: Better Care for Osteoarthritis – watch this new promotional video produced by one of our leisure sector providers, Everybody Sport & Recreation Limited, and see their website for further details.
  • 21 June 2018: ESCAPE-pain had an article published, ‘Tackling inactivity and osteoarthritis through a health and community leisure partnership’ in Perspectives in Public Health Volume 138 Issue 4.

Spring 2018

  • CIMSPA Accreditation – ESCAPE-pain training is accredited by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity and now forms part of their Skills Development Partner network.
  • 5 March 2018: My Story – Arlene Rowe used to suffer from terrible pain because of her Osteoarthritis (OA), and found her life becoming more and more restrictive. Read her story and hear her explain the transformative impact that ESCAPE-pain has had on her physical and mental wellbeing.