Musculoskeletal (MSK) pathway resources.

Plain explanations of the things everyone uses and nobody defines

Musculoskeletal care (for the bones, joints and muscles) runs on terms that mean different things in different services. Triage, first contact, advanced practice, referral optimisation. These pages set out what each one actually means, who does what, and where the decisions are made.

They are written for clinicians working in or alongside these services. They are also for medical and surgical colleagues who were never taught how the front of the pathway works. And they are for the service leads and commissioners who design and fund the pathway. Every important claim is linked to its source. The pages are written by Dr Arj Imbuldeniya, consultant orthopaedic knee and hip surgeon. We correct them when people who do this work tell us we have it wrong.