by Sue Brown, CEO ARMA
Last month the Government announced a new major conditions strategy. In the past ARMA’s response to such an announcement would be “what about MSK? That’s a major condition contributing hugely to the burden of disease in England.” Not this time.
I will admit to being surprised to read the list of six conditions included and find musculoskeletal disorders was one of them. Pleasantly surprised. Finally, in this one document at least, MSK seems to have parity with other conditions. The impact of MSK has been recognised, but more than that. The strategy is partly about recognising the extent to which people have multiple conditions, underlining the point we have always made that MSK health is an underpinning factor in overall health.
The strategy promises much. To increase healthy life expectancy and reduce ill-health related labour market inactivity. Whole person care and the needs of people with multiple long-term conditions. Shifting towards preserving good health. Delivering healthy, fulfilled, independent and longer lives for the people of England. Certainly none of that can be achieved if MSK is ignored.
There is little detail about the process, or how the herculean task of delivering on these promises for six conditions and reducing health disparities in one single strategy will be achieved.
We already know what works in MSK. A lot of the detail is already there – the Best MSK Health programme has set out what’s needed. The strategy needs to ensure this can be delivered. That means tackling workforce, providing funding to the right parts of the system, supporting local systems and services to change how they work and a strong focus on prevention. It needs to be more than a list of targets or promises without any indication of how to get there from where we are now.
I am looking forward to contributing to the process. I want to see it focus on delivery, on supporting local change, on genuine cross system working. I want to see MSK, the largest cause of years lived with disability, given the resourcing, focus and energy it merits. The over 17 million people in England with an MSK conditions deserve nothing less.