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NHS ‘failing’ arthritis patients The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) spoke to 84 doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, and discovered that more than 90% said that, due to the government’s health service priorities, they were unable to provide the level of service needed for people with musculoskeletal conditions (MSCs). The result, according to the ARMA, is that many people with MSCs, estimated at over eight million in the UK, are in pain, forced out of their jobs and struggling to remain independent. The Department of Health says it is taking steps to improve treatment and access to services for people with MSCs, but the ARMA survey also found that none of the professionals questioned rated their service for people with MSCs as “excellent”. ARMA says it has examples of patients who have waited years to get a formal diagnosis, been unable to get prescriptions for appropriate medication, forced to stop work, and have their independence limited due to being on waiting lists for urgently needed operations. ARMA chief executive, Sophie Edwards, said: “People’s needs don’t go away just because there isn’t a service available – the impact ripples through families, communities, employers, and the tax payer.” The organisation has also published a set of standards which it hopes will help health providers. Of the providers who responded to its survey, more than 90% said having a set of standards could improve the services they offer, and more than 60% felt that having standards would ... continue > Next page
Published: 16 November 2004 Ref: BBC Online