Between February and December 2023 ARMA will deliver the first ever national inquiry into MSK health inequalities to explore and highlight the issues and make recommendations for improvement. Financial support was provided for this project as charitable grants from Grunenthal UK Ltd, Pfizer Limited, Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK and Jansen.
The prevalence and impact of musculoskeletal conditions are not experienced equally across the population. Musculoskeletal conditions are linked to deprivation, age, are more prevalent in women, and disproportionately affect some minority ethnic groups.
Deprivation is a significant driver of inequalities in MSK health. People in deprived areas experience more chronic pain, are more likely to have a long term MSK condition and experience worse clinical outcomes and quality of life. We are therefore focusing this inquiry on MSK health inequalities and deprivation.
The aims of the inquiry
- Set out the evidence for inequalities in MSK health related to deprivation and explore the possible underlying reasons.
- Propose actions which can be taken to address these, both in design and delivery of MSK services, and actions to address wider determinants of health and prevention.
- Raise the profile of the issues and possible solutions.
How will the inquiry work
Our second call for evidence is aimed at local services
Some of the most interesting responses to our first call for evidence were from local services. We want to hear about local work to tackle MSK health inequalities and any barriers services face in doing this. This second call for evidence is open until Wednesday 31 May.
Lived experience
Our lived experience evidence form remains open. Your contribution will be anonymous – we will not name any of the people who complete this form.
We will hold some oral evidence sessions
Details of how you can watch these will be posted here when available.
An expert panel will advise the process
A report will be written and published at the end of the year