Will the Minister outline any plans to foster more timely access to treatments for arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions?
Through the national primary care plan and the service and development directive for arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions we continue to raise awareness and support people to reduce their risk of these conditions and, where they do occur, to assess, diagnose and provide ongoing care as locally and as quickly as possible. We plan to refresh the directive later this year.
The national primary care fund is supporting the development of integrated multi professional teams in the community employing additional physiotherapists. People can access this service directly without waiting to be referred by a GP. This will also enable those patients who need to be seen in secondary care to be seen more quickly.