Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of a cross-governmental strategy for musculoskeletal health.

The Government is taking action to improve outcomes for people with MSK conditions. This includes through working to deliver the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. GIRFT teams are working with health system leaders to reduce community MSK waiting lists, which are the highest of all community waiting lists in England, and transform community services to support people with MSK conditions.

As part of a major transformation of the National Health Service under the 10-Year Health Plan, patients with MSK conditions will also soon be able to directly access community services, including physiotherapy, pain management, and orthopaedics, in the NHS App. The landmark change will deliver faster treatment for the flare up of existing conditions including arthritis, backpain, and joint pain, while enabling general practitioners (GPs) to focus on more complex cases, reducing pressure on hospitals, and freeing up GPs.