A quarter of local authorities in England are failing to meet the health needs of people with arthritis, a new report is warning.
The report, published by Arthritis Research UK, found that 26% of local authorities failed to mention arthritis in their assessment of the health needs of the local community, with 62% missing back pain.
The charity is warning that ignoring the needs of people with musculoskeletal conditions will put further pressure on health and social care services in the future.
Dr Liam O’Toole, chief executive at Arthritis Research UK, said: ‘A number of local authorities in England are failing in their duty to assess the needs of people with arthritis and back pain, and we’re concerned they may not be providing appropriate services which meet their needs.
‘For too long, musculoskeletal conditions, such as osteoarthritis and back pain, have been placed in the ‘too difficult’ box. As a number of people living with these conditions continue to increase, there is an urgent need for local authorities to properly assess the impact on the communities which they serve.’
Musculoskeletal conditions affect more than seven million people in England, accounting for £5bn of NHS spend every year.
The charity is calling on local authorities to hold an internal investigation to identify why they have yet to recognise the needs of residents with arthritis. To coincide with the report, it has launched a Musculoskeletal Calculator to access data on the number of people living locally with hip and knee osteoarthritis.
