Improving musculoskeletal health by empowering people

Our new report is calling for greater use of care planning to empower people with musculoskeletal conditions.

Despite a fifth of the UK population consulting about a musculoskeletal condition, such as arthritis, each year, the report, Care planning and musculoskeletal health (PDF 3.01 MB), finds that only 12% of people with these conditions have a care plan to support them in self-managing their condition and wellbeing.

However, the NHS has committed to offering everybody living with a long-term condition a personalised care plan by 2015.

Approximately 10 million people in the UK have musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and many live with painful or fluctuating symptoms for decades. Care planning should be more widely available to people with musculoskeletal conditions and the pain caused by arthritis addressed when it occurs in people with other long-term conditions.

Care planning can enable people to self-manage and to ‘take control’ of their condition, identifying actions they can take to improve their own health and wellbeing. The report argues that more people with musculoskeletal conditions could benefit and calls for systems designed to deliver care planning to include those with musculoskeletal conditions.

Musculoskeletal health is an important contributor to overall health and wellbeing. As symptoms can include limited mobility or pain, this can increase the impact of other long-term conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and depression. GPs involved in care planning should identify and address musculoskeletal needs in patients with any long-term condition during care planning.

The report also calls on professional bodies to ensure that the continued training of healthcare professionals responsible for care planning includes core musculoskeletal skills.

 Dr Liam O’Toole, chief executive officer at Arthritis Research UK, said: “We want to ensure that GPs are promoting the benefits of good musculoskeletal health during care planning, providing a platform to empower and support patients in making lifestyle changes that will improve their health. Collaborative discussions can help in identifying personalised approaches, such as appropriate exercise or progressive weight loss, which can relieve symptoms.”

Dr Tom Margham, primary care lead at Arthritis Research UK, said: “The reality for increasing numbers of people is that they will be living for many years with more than one long-term condition. Care planning works best when it is considered not as just a list of actions, but an ethos of care – working collaboratively with patients, sharing information and identifying priorities and goals to get the best outcomes.”

 Professor Nigel Mathers, honorary secretary at the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: “The RCGP supports the call by Arthritis Research UK for patients to take on a more active role in managing their own conditions. Musculoskeletal conditions need ongoing treatment such as exercise and medication to alleviate the symptoms and most patients want to be able, and have the support, to manage their health on a day-to-day basis.

“Care planning increases patient involvement at an earlier stage by creating a partnership with the GP that gives them a real sense of control over their own health and wellbeing. The RCGP is part of the Coalition for Collaborative Care – by working together, we can help change the lives of the 15 million patients with long-term conditions, including those with musculoskeletal problems, for the better.”

Download Care planning and musculoskeletal health (PDF 3.01 MB).

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