Face the facts, First Minister

Three years ago, in this very magazine, Lauren Bennie, Head of Arthritis UK in Scotland, called for Scotland's first national Musculoskeletal (MSK) Action Plan.

Three years later, people with arthritis are still waiting.

The facts are stark. Around 1.7 million people in Scotland live with an MSK condition — more than a third of the population — including around 850,000 people with arthritis. Yet despite the sheer scale of the problem, Scotland still has no dedicated national plan for arthritis or wider MSK conditions.

That needs to change.

Arthritis is not an inevitable part of getting older. It is a serious long-term condition that can affect someone's ability to study, work, care for their family, stay active and live independently. Its impact can be physical, financial and emotional.

Yet arthritis and other MSK conditions remain overlooked in health policy.

In 2021, we warned about the loss of Scotland's national MSK helpline, which supported 50,000 people every year. We were promised a new MSK pathway. Five years later, it hasn’t materialised.

People with arthritis are still waiting to see the transformation they were promised.

They are waiting in other ways too.

Demand for orthopaedic services continues to put pressure on the NHS. But for someone living in pain, delay can mean deteriorating mobility, time away from work and loss of independence.

We need to bring waiting times down. But tackling waiting lists alone will not solve the problem.

For Bobby in Stranraer, an avid football player, “I waited two and a half years for an appointment. Only then was I put on the waiting list for knee replacements. Osteoarthritis played havoc with my thoughts, my mind, my life.”

If Scotland is committed to shifting healthcare towards prevention, early intervention and care closer to home, MSK conditions must be central to that ambition.

Timely diagnosis and treatment matter. Physiotherapy, rehabilitation, pain management and self-management support can keep people active and independent for longer and help people remain in work while reducing pressure elsewhere in our health and care system.

Too many people face a fragmented journey through that system. Care can depend on where they live. Access to diagnosis, specialist services, physiotherapy, pain management and self-management support varies across Scotland.

Your postcode should not determine the quality of arthritis care you receive.

That is why Arthritis UK is once again calling for Scotland's first MSK Action Plan.

A national plan would bring the leadership and accountability that have been missing for too long. It could drive earlier diagnosis, tackle unacceptable variation in care, strengthen the workforce and ensure people get the right support at the right time.

Above all, it would send a simple but important message: arthritis matters.

It affects hundreds of thousands of people. It causes pain and disability. It keeps people out of work. It can rob people of their independence. And it deserves the same serious strategic attention as Scotland's other major health challenges.

Face the facts, First Minister.

More than a third of Scots live with an MSK condition. Scotland still has no national MSK Action Plan. And three years after we first called for action, Scotland's arthritis community is still waiting.

They should not have to wait another three years.

First Minister John Swinney has promised to improve public services and deliver for the people of Scotland. The opportunity is right here. Commit to Scotland's first MSK Action Plan.

Support the Parliament's first-ever debate on arthritis. Give people living with arthritis the support they deserve.

First Minister, don't turn your back on arthritis.

To sign our letter, visit https://www.arthritis-uk.org/news/first-minister-don-t-turn-your-back-on-arthritis/

This article is sponsored by Arthritis UK 

@ScotArthritis and @ArthritisUKOrg

To sign our letter, visit https://www.arthritis-uk.org/news/first-minister-don-t-turn-your-back-on-arthritis/