Faster care and help returning to work to be provided for MSK patients

Thousands of patients with painful joint and muscle conditions will receive employment support and treatment to tackle health-related economic inactivity.

Sharon Hodgson (c) UK Parliament

Sharon Hodgson (c) UK Parliament

Backed by more than £3m of Government funding, the expansion of NHS England's Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme builds on a successful pilot, which cut 18-week waiting lists by 20% across 17 areas between December 2024 and March 2025.

Minister for public health and prevention, Sharon Hodgson, said: ‘I'm delighted to announce the national roll out of such a successful scheme, which will help address the unacceptably long waits for painful MSK conditions.'

The new funding will support one-day clinics that bring health specialists and mental health support and physical activity services together, allowing people to engage with multiple services in one visit. 

It will also support ‘super clinics', which rapidly increase clinical capacity and provide one-to-one, in-depth clinical diagnostics and targeted treatments.

Funding will also be directed at areas with the greatest need in order to improve local services where the need is greatest.

MSK conditions are one of the biggest drivers of sickness absence and economic inactivity, affecting around 17m people.

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