ARMA welcomes the 10 Year Health Plan and calls for a national MSK strategy to unlock its full potential
The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) welcomes the publication of the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan for England and its clear commitment to tackling widening health inequalities and focusing on healthy life expectancy. We are pleased to see many of the themes and recommendations from ARMA’s Act Now report reflected in the Plan, including a commitment to listening to the voice of patients and directing investment towards communities with entrenched health disparities.
The Plan’s ambition to refocus the NHS around prevention marks a positive and necessary step forward. For the more than 20 million people in the UK living with MSK conditions, this shift must translate into quality, tailored, supported self-management to help individuals live healthier, more independent lives for longer.
We support action to reduce waiting times for both diagnosis and treatment of MSK conditions. Timely access to care is essential, as early intervention can prevent conditions from worsening and help avoid the need for more invasive treatments. This focus on tackling delays is a welcome step toward achieving better outcomes and improving the quality of life for everyone living with MSK conditions.
We particularly welcome the Plan’s focus on delivering more care in community settings, an important step for the many people with MSK conditions who are currently waiting too long for the support they need. Progress through initiatives such as the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme is encouraging, but further action and investment is needed.
Community based MSK services play a vital role in supporting people to manage long-term conditions, yet they have long been underfunded. As demand continues to grow, these services must be strengthened and properly resourced to expand their impact and reach more people effectively. The proposed neighbourhood health centres can and must be places where millions of people experience high quality, co-ordinated, easily accessible, personalised care for their MSK condition.
To deliver on the ambitions of the Plan, we urge the Government to recognise MSK as a priority area, with clear national leadership and resources. MSK conditions are one of the leading causes of disability, long-term absence from work, and demand on both health and care services – yet too often, they are overlooked.
While the 10 Year Plan sets out important principles and welcome ambitions, its condition-agnostic approach risks missing the unique challenges and opportunities that MSK presents. A dedicated national MSK strategy and service framework is urgently needed to complement the Plan, ensuring MSK services are prioritised, integrated, and effectively delivered across the country.
As the NHS works to implement the Plan’s three key shifts, a national MSK strategy would be instrumental in driving this transformation. This is a pivotal moment. We stand on the cusp of a new era for MSK care, and we must seize this opportunity to deliver meaningful change for MSK health.
The work now begins to ensure that the 10 Year Health Plan is truly transformative for the 20 million people living with MSK conditions.
ARMA will now take time to carefully review the details of the Plan, working closely with our members to understand its implications and explore the opportunities it presents. We look forward to turning ambition into action and helping make this plan a success for MSK patients across the country.