Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Arthritis: Treatment Waiting Times

Tuesday 6 June 2023 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • NHS England uses resources from Versus Arthritis to support patients waiting for hip and knee replacements.
  • Neil Coyle highlighted Versus Arthritis concerns about long waits for arthritis treatment in England.
  • The Minister emphasized the importance of reducing waiting times for arthritis treatment.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Neil Coyle Lab Bermondsey and Old Southwark
NHS
Context

Patients with arthritis are facing long NHS wait times, leading to concerns about their health.

Question

What steps he is taking to improve the health of patients with arthritis awaiting NHS treatment?

Answer from Helen Whately

NHS England has drawn on the work of Versus Arthritis, including its joint replacement support package, in the resources it provides to support people waiting for hip and knee replacements. Alongside that, we know that what people really want is faster treatment. That is why we are working so hard to cut waiting lists, which is one of the Prime Minister's five key priorities.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions or commitments for arthritis patients were not provided beyond referencing general efforts to reduce waiting times.

How: Reducing Waiting Lists

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Q2 Neil Coyle Lab Bermondsey and Old Southwark
NHS
Context

Versus Arthritis has significant concerns about the waits for treatment, with more than 800,000 people in England waiting for trauma and orthopaedic treatment.

Question

I am glad that the Minister referenced Versus Arthritis, because it does great work, but it has significant concerns about the waits for treatment for people living with arthritis. While recognising the efforts of hard-working NHS staff, there are more than 800,000 people in England waiting for trauma and orthopaedic treatment, including more than 5,500 Southwark constituents waiting for treatment at Guy's and St Tommy's hospitals. Will the Minister meet staff from Versus Arthritis specifically to discuss how to better support people waiting for those treatments?

Answer from Helen Whately

As the hon. Member said, Versus Arthritis is doing really important work not only supporting people with arthritis while they wait for treatment, but better preparing them for surgery. What is really important, as I said a moment ago, is reducing those waits and the work that we are doing on that. We have already virtually eliminated two-year waits, and 18-month waits have been reduced by more than 90%, which is quite a contrast, we know, to the performance of the Labour-run NHS in Wales. I encourage Versus Arthritis to contribute to our call for evidence on the major conditions strategy where we are looking at what more we can do to support people with, among other things, muscular skeletal conditions.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment to a meeting was not provided beyond acknowledging Versus Arthritis's work and referencing efforts to reduce waiting times.

How: Reducing Waits, Call For Evidence

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