Consultation responses

A Comprehensive Spending Review is an opportunity for the government to allocate funding to Departments and consider its priorities across all spending over multiple years. Our representation to the Comprehensive Spending Review 2021 focused on how the Government can prioritise musculoskeletal health in spending decisions by; investing in programmes that reduce waiting times for joint replacement surgery, strengthening public health and prevention initiatives, funding innovative research making arthritis preventable, treatable and manageable, and supporting people’s health in the workplace.

Read more about the comprehensive spending review (Word, 157 KB).

Parliament’s Health and Social Care Committee is currently running an inquiry into to understand the level of pent-up demand for key healthcare services, including access to joint replacement surgery and other vital musculoskeletal treatments, and recommend ways that the NHS can respond to the backlog of care needs caused by the pandemic, through changes to the organisation and delivery of services.

Our evidence submission focuses on the impact that cancellations have had on people waiting for vital joint replacement surgeries, and the experiences of waiting including the impact on people’s mental, physical and financial wellbeing. The recommendations in our submission outlines how support for people on waiting lists needs to be improved in order to protect people’s quality of life, and highlights real world examples of how healthcare systems across the UK are successfully supporting patients currently waiting for treatment.

Read more about the health and social care committee inquiry review (Word, 81 KB).

The Department of Work and Pensions’ is currently considering how the current system can be improved to better support people with health conditions to live independent lives and start, stay and succeed in employment.

We know that with access to the right support, people with musculoskeletal conditions can fully participate in and contribute to society, and thrive in work and in their daily lives. Our response, highlights how strong employer support, easy access to daily living aids and adaptations, and tackling misconceptions about disabled people, are central to improving the lives of people with musculoskeletal conditions.

Read more about the health and disability green paper (Word, 60 KB).

We’re also members of the Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC), a coalition organisation committed to working towards building a fair benefits system that reflects and meets the needs of all disabled people. The DBC’s response to the consultation is available here - https://disabilitybenefitsconsortium.files.wordpress.com/2021/10/dbc-2021.10-shaping-future-support-green-paper-submission-final.pdf.

Musculoskeletal conditions are significantly more common in women, affecting 11.6 million women in the UK compared to 8.7 million men. The reasons for this gap and complicated and varied, including some biological and genetic factors, some environmental causes and others that are still not well understood.

The Department of Health and Social Care is currently developing a Women’s Health Strategy, which is aiming to better understand women’s health priorities and in the long term, improve the health and wellbeing of women across the country. Our evidence submission highlights the disproportionate impact musculoskeletal conditions and associated chronic pain have on women in the UK and how it impacts every aspect of their lives, including their mental health, employment and quality of life.

Read more about the women's health strategy (Word, 87 KB).

Following the decision to close Public Health England and establish as UK Health Security Agency, the Government have asked for views about what the future of public health should look like.

Musculoskeletal conditions are one of the largest causes of preventable pain and disability in the UK. Versus Arthritis understands the importance of good prevention and self-management support for musculoskeletal conditions to improving the population’s overall health. We’re pushing for the new public health system to take a proactive approach to encouraging good musculoskeletal health at every stage of life, and for people with musculoskeletal health to be properly supported in maintaining their wellbeing.

Read the full consultation response to 'Transforming the public health system' here (PDF, 239 KB).

The House of Lords Select Committee asked for views on the creation of a National Plan for Sport and Recreation, which would aim to make it easier for everyone to exercise and maintain an active lifestyle.

We know how important physical activity is for many people with arthritis in helping manage their condition, and we want to make sure that a National Plan for Sport and Recreation addresses the barriers to exercise our community currently faces. We also have worked with people with arthritis to design and deliver physical activity programmes, which should be integrated into the Government’s strategy for increasing physical activity in people with health conditions.

Read our response to the House of Lords Select Committee on a National Plan for Sport and Recreation inquiry (PDF, 288 KB).

Following the Spending Review in November 2020, the Government has announced it will publish a new Budget for the UK for the year ahead on Wednesday 3 March 2021. The Budget is expected to ‘set out the next phase of the plan to tackle the coronavirus and protect jobs’. It will be published alongside the latest forecasts on national finances from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

Stakeholders are invited to send representations to the Treasury ahead of the budget. Our representation focuses on areas of spending which we believe matter to people with arthritis. These are spread across health and care services, including public health spending, along with employment and cutting-edge research.

Read the Versus Arthritis Representation to the Budget 2020 (PDF, 368 KB).

You can read more about our consultation responses from 2017 in our archive section.

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You can read more about our consultation responses from 2018 in our archive section.

You can read more about our consultation responses from 2019 in our archive section.

You can read more about our consultation responses from 2020 in our archive section.