View From The Top

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” (a quote, misattributed to Einstein, BTW)

The MSK sector is slow to change and, as a consequence, is not meeting the needs of the public as evidenced by the large gap between prevalence (high) and demand (low). 

It is almost 40 years since I qualified as a physio and, since the first couple of years, I have worked exclusively in the MSK sector.  Initially this was in the NHS, in various clinical and leadership roles, until the systemic barriers to change rendered this career path unviable for me as a restless 20-something.  So, I joined with two other clinicians who were equally frustrated and interested in MSK; a podiatrist and a GP, in setting up a private practice.  That was a foundation for Connect Health.  35 years later it is the largest MSK provider to the NHS, employs over 500 MSK clinicians from different tribes (physios, sports therapists, chiros, SEMs, nurses, rheumatologists etc.) and is rated as Outstanding by the CQC in the Well-led domain.  The key to success, in my (sometimes) humble opinion, has been looking outside of healthcare for new ideas and practices and for skilled and experienced non-clinical professionals to apply their knowledge into our environment.  Other things are also very important to success of course – leadership and investment, for example.  More on these later.

Returning to the market as a whole, rather than my own experience, I have a few observations other than just that gap between prevalence and demand.