16 October 2025
Arthritis UK’s The State of Musculoskeletal (MSK) Health 2025 lays bare the prevalence of arthritis and MSK conditions among the population. It paints a particularly stark picture of how inequalities impact health, with people experiencing higher levels of deprivation more likely to have arthritis or a long-term condition and more likely to have multiple long-term conditions.
As the report highlights, the prevalence of MSK conditions increases with age, and the number of people with multiple long-term conditions is set to increase. We know that an ageing population and increasing complexity will mean more people living with MSK conditions. This has a significant cost for individuals, as well as costs for employers, the health service, and the wider economy. Therefore, we urge government to make MSK health a priority area as part of its focus on quality of care.
The report was shortly followed by Left waiting, left behind: The Reality of Living with Arthritis, surveying nearly 8,000 people living with arthritis, and showing how arthritis impacts every aspect of people’s lives from their physical health, hobbies, relationships and work to their mental health. People are waiting far too long for diagnosis and treatment, which is preventing them from living the lives they want to lead.
Diagnosis opens doors to treatments and support. However, the report found over half (54%) of survey respondents reported unreasonable waits or delays getting an appointment with the relevant specialist. This mirrors data from our National Early Inflammatory Autoimmune Disease Audit (NEIAA) showing that only 43% of patients were seen for their first appointment in rheumatology within three weeks of receipt of referral.
As we set out in our response to the NHS 10 Year Health Plan consultation, improving patients’ quality of life and health outcomes by reducing diagnostic and treatment delays depends on training, recruiting and retaining a specialist workforce that is able to meet future demand for services. This means growing the rheumatology workforce, and addressing the challenges facing rheumatology teams everyday, including high levels of consultant vacancies and inadequate succession planning, which forces the existing workforce to cover staffing gaps.
We also need to invest in the teams of the future, by addressing the variability in trainees’ exposure to tertiary rheumatology, the impact of new dual training requirements, and delivering opportunities for enhanced roles for AHPs, pharmacists and nurses.
What these reports clearly show is that the cracks in our health service have wide and far-reaching impacts on people living with arthritis and MSK conditions. We must address the workforce crisis in rheumatology to build a long-term sustainable workforce that can meet the needs of patients now and in the future.
NHS’s workforce crisis to enable life-changing patient interventions and deliver meaningful personalised and holistic care to successfully manage these conditions.
We will continue to advocate and raise these workforce issues, alongside our members, at all levels of government.