Monday 10 March 2014
Dear potential supplier
Market engagement event: eHealth solution to support ESCAPE-knee pain rehabilitation programme
The Health Innovation Network wish to procure an electronic solution, initially in the form of a website, to support the promotion
and spread of a rehabilitation programme for patients with osteoarthritis to improve uptake across the NHS.
In advance of the procurement the Health Innovation Network are hosting a market engagement event for prospective
providers on Monday 24 March from 1000 at Guy's Hospital, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT.
ESCAPE-knee pain is a programme of patient education, self-management and coping strategies and exercise, typically
delivered by physiotherapists. It encourages patients suffering from osteoarthritis to effectively use exercise as a safe and
beneficial treatment. The Programme is endorsed by the National Institute of Clinical Effectiveness (NICE) and robust
evaluation shows that it is more effective and cheaper than usual care.
Spread of complex healthcare interventions such as ESCAPE-knee pain is often slow and inefficient, largely because it is
difficult to convey the subtle, but vital, nuances of complex healthcare interventions in written text. A better approach is to
encourage clinical professionals to see the programme in action but geographical and time restrictions limit this approach.
This procurement is therefore aimed at delivering a website and potentially other eHealth technologies to showcase ESCAPEknee pain, to enable many more health professionals to replicate the programme and benefit many more patients suffering
from osteoarthritis.
The aims of the market engagement event are to:



Advise the market of the forthcoming procurement
Enable prospective providers to learn about ESCAPE-knee pain and input into the final service specification for the
procurement
Enable providers to identify and manage any barriers to entry, at an early stage
If you are interested in attending the market engagement event, please confirm by e mail to Andrea Carter, Programme
Manager [email protected] giving your name, your organisation name and your contact e mail and telephone number.
Please confirm no later than Wednesday 19 March and please note that places are limited to 2 per organisation.
Yours sincerely
Anna King
Commercial Director,
Health Innovation Network
Health Innovation Network
First Floor, Counting House, Guy’s Hospital
Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT
Michael Hurley
Professor of Rehabilitation Sciences,
St George's University of London and Kingston University
Phone +44 (0)20 7188 9805
Email [email protected]
Web www.hin-southlondon.org
Health Innovation Network is the
Academic Health Science Network
(AHSN) for South London
Background information
The Health Innovation Network
The Health Innovation Network is the Academic Health and Science Network for South London. We are a membership
organisation, sharing innovations across the health system and capitalising on teaching and research strengths to drive lasting
improvements in health and wellbeing across South London. We are proud to be collaborating with partners from the NHS,
universities, local authorities, Industry and the third sector, and prioritising involvement from service user and the public, to
drive Innovation and best practice across South London.
We are focusing on health priorities across a number of clinical areas including musculoskeletal care, diabetes, dementia and
alcohol-related health issues. The spread of the ESCAPE-knee pain is a key part of our Musculoskeletal Programme.
Further information is available on our website www.hin-southlondon.org
Enabling Self-management and Coping of Arthritic Pain through Exercise
In the UK chronic joint pain, often labelled osteoarthritis (OA), affects about 8.5 million people, of whom 6 million are in
constant pain. This number is forecast to double by 2030 as more people live longer, adopt sedentary lifestyles and obesity
rises. For the individual, chronic joint pain causes suffering, disability, impairs mobility and physical activity, quality of life and
compromises independence. The personal, social, direct, indirect and hidden health and social care costs of chronic joint pain
are about £3.2 billion - 1% of gross national product. Addressing this growing problem requires effective, efficient interventions
that promote self-management and can be made available to large numbers of people.
Management guidelines recommend exercise, patient education and weight control as core ways to control chronic joint pain
and its consequences. In practice usual primary care is very variable and the guidelines overlooked. Enabling Selfmanagement and Coping of Arthritic Pain through Exercise, ESCAPE-pain, is an integrated programme of patient education,
self-management and coping strategies and exercise that challenges people’s erroneous health beliefs, helps them appreciate
exercise is safe, beneficial and can control pain. ESCAPE-pain is shown to be more effective and cheaper than usual care,
with sustained benefits, is popular with patients and therapists and reduces healthcare costs.
Unfortunately “passive diffusion” of complex healthcare interventions is slow and inefficient. This is partly because written
description conveying the subtle, but vital, nuances of complex healthcare interventions is very difficult. Allowing clinical
professionals to see the programme in action is a much better way of sharing and conveying complex information but
geographical and time restrictions often severely limit this approach.
“eHealth technologies” such as telemedicine, websites, smartphone applications, etc. are increasingly attractive as they can
reach and engage many more people.
The Health Innovation Network is therefore seeking to procure an eHealth solution, probably commencing with a website, to
showcase ESCAPE-pain (background, premise, ethos and aims), and describe and demonstrate the programme, to enable
many more people to replicate the programme and provide on-going advice and support.
While it is likely that a website will be the primary vehicle for this purpose, we would be interested in discussing other potential
eHealth solutions which would meet our objectives as we are very keen to develop interesting and innovative ways to engage
GPs, allied health professionals and patients.
Potential format for a website might include:

general information for healthcare professionals and patients about the condition and ethos of the ESCAPE-pain
programme,

demonstration of the programme's content and format using video, interactive elements and mobile/smartphone apps
However, we are open to ideas about how best ESCAPE-pain can be promoted via electronic solutions.
The overall aim of the work will be to accelerate the diffusion of ESCAPE-pain enabling more people to access better
information, implement the programme and experience its benefits - reduced pain, improved physical function and general
health. Effective implementation of ESCAPE-pain will enable healthcare professionals to provide better care and advice, and
reduce healthcare costs.
For more information please contact:
Michael Hurley, Clinical Director
[email protected] or
Andrea Carter, Programme Manager
[email protected], tel: 020 7188 9805
Health Innovation Network
First Floor, Counting House, Guy’s Hospital
Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT
Phone +44 (0)20 7188 9805
Email [email protected]
Web www.hin-southlondon.org
Health Innovation Network is the
Academic Health Science Network
(AHSN) for South London