08 July 2025
We welcome the vision set out by Government in the NHS 10 Year Health Plan. For people with rheumatic and MSK conditions, getting things right early through rapid diagnosis and treatment, and supporting them to manage their conditions and stay well, is of profound importance for their ability to fully participate in society. Therefore we are pleased to see the Plan’s commitment to building capacity in primary care, its strong focus on preventative, personalised care and its ambitions for harnessing technology to free up staff time and give patients more choice and control.
However, we have seen plans like this before. What BSR members want to see now is action, but the absence of an implementation plan means there is a glaring gap in how the health and care system will be supported to deliver the three shifts, and how they will be delivered against the backdrop of the severe pressures affecting services across the whole of the UK right now. We want to see much more ambition for addressing the challenges impacting rheumatology services every day, including severe medicine shortages and the breakdown in shared care agreements, as well as a focus on addressing the specific needs of children and young people with rheumatic conditions and supporting people with mental health co-morbidities.
Rheumatology is a complex medical specialty and many patients with complex rheumatic disease will continue to require a mix of services in the community and in hospitals. It is crucial therefore that plans for shifting care from hospitals to the community are developed in partnership with clinical leaders and build on the good practice already out there. Delivering the transformations set out in the plan will not be possible without meaningful clinical engagement, investment in leadership and skills, and allowing teams time and space for innovation.
While we are pleased to see the government’s commitment to strengthening the nursing workforce and creating new specialty training posts, we await the detail in the NHS 10 Year Workforce Plan. Staffing gaps are a source of huge pressure on the rheumatology multidisciplinary team and are impacting the day-to-day care of patients. The Workforce Plan should include a roadmap for addressing the gaps in the rheumatology MDT and growing the rheumatology workforce in line with BSR’s workforce recommendations, otherwise delivering the 10 Year Plan risks placing additional pressures on an already over-stretched workforce.
Jo Ledingham, BSR President, said
“We support the overall direction of the Plan and its ambition to transform care. But this ambition must be matched by a credible plan for delivery. Without clear timelines, funding and a detailed workforce strategy, there is a risk of repeating past promises without real change. As the professional voice for rheumatology across the whole life course, the whole UK and the whole MDT, we are calling for bold, deliverable action to match the ambition.”