Versus Arthritis is campaigning to ensure that everyone who needs a joint replacement gets timely access to treatment. Hundreds of thousands of joint replacement operations take place each year. More than 90% of people who have hip and knee replacements have osteoarthritis.
At the end of February, Versus Arthritis released figures revealing that, in one year alone, almost 30,000 people with arthritis in England waited more than the guaranteed 18-weeks to start treatment. This has
been featured in the Telegraph, with more coverage to follow.
Not only are people with arthritis already facing an agonising wait for surgery but now, a review of NHS waiting times in England, also puts our existing 18-week right to treatment at risk. The VA campaign is calling on the government to protect our NHS right to treatment within 18 weeks, and ask for a plan to reduce waiting times and improve access for those who need joint replacements.
We know people with arthritis are facing long waits for joint replacements all over the UK. Waiting times are measured differently in each UK nation, but most recent data suggests that all four health systems are struggling to meet their respective targets. This is the first step in building our UK-wide campaign, and Versus Arthritis has started in England because the NHS review of joint replacement waiting times is a live policy issue.VA will be doing further work to campaign for change across all nations, and everyone across the UK is urged to back this campaign.
Sign and share the petition today
- Wherever you live in the UK, please add your name to the petition today and share it with your friends, family and networks on social media. Thousands of signatures are needed to make sure the government listens to our calls.
- For everyone in England, there’s also an option to share the petition with your MP. So please make sure you say “yes” to this step too.
- If you live outside of England, please encourage anyone who has had a joint replacement, or is waiting for surgery, to share their story with us.
Spread the word with our resources
Please share the message far and wide with your professional and personal networks. VA has created a number of different resources that you can use:
Campaign PDF provides a summary of the campaign.
Downloadable petition for those who want to print copies and take our petition out to communities.
Video of Rob’s story, highlighting the agonising wait faced by people with arthritis.