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A leading charity has warned the Government today that people with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions are being left to wait in pain, with many in need of life-changing operations braced for years of agony.
Over 6,000 responded to a survey by Versus Arthritis which uncovered that two in every five (40%) people with arthritis faced cancelled appointments during the pandemic, rising to almost half (44%) for those in chronic pain.
When asked about their health, care and quality of life during lockdown:
- 2 in 5 (40%) have been unable to manage their pain due to limited access to care and treatment
- Half report being unable to manage their pain enough to undertake basic tasks
- A third (33%) were advised to self-isolate with the data showing those shielding bore the brunt of cancellations (46% experiencing cancelled appointments)
- 1 in 2 (50%) said they are not able to be physically active due to their pain
Versus Arthritis – which has already fielded a 200% increase in pain-related enquiries since lockdown began – is warning that those unable to access appropriate care are at risk of significant decline in health and that the NHS will pay a higher price in the long term.
Johnny dicussed this issue with James O’Malley of Versus Arthritis: