Musculoskeletal Health: Chiropractors

Baroness Merron Excerpts

Wednesday 26th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick]

To ask His Majesty’s Government whether they plan to incorporate a role for chiropractors in national musculoskeletal health prevention strategies.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Baroness Merron) (Lab)]

My Lords, improving health outcomes for over 17 million people in England with musculoskeletal conditions forms a key part of this Government’s commitment to build an NHS for the future. Healthcare professionals play a vital prevention role in supporting people to self-manage their conditions. NHS England does not commission chiropractic care nationally. However, ICBs have their own clinical or commissioning policies and so may commission a limited amount of such treatment, based on the needs of the local population.

[Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for her Answer. I say initially that I am someone who avails periodically of chiropractic services. Will my noble friend the Minister, along with her ministerial colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care, review the allied health professions list to include chiropractors working within the NHS to deal with musculoskeletal conditions, which in turn could alleviate the burdens on an already overburdened NHS? Could this also be included in the national health plan, which I hope will be published shortly?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I recognise the importance of mitigating the long-term burdens of MSK conditions, which are considerable, and the role that healthcare professionals, including allied healthcare professionals, can play in supporting not just prevention but early detection and the management of conditions. I know that chiropractic care is appreciated in a number of cases, including that of my noble friend. However, clinical evidence from systemic reviews does not support national commissioning of chiropractic treatment, as I mentioned, although ICBs can commission these services. To the point on the 10-year plan—a report on that is expected in the spring, as my noble friend referred to—I place on record that I am grateful to the British Chiropractic Association, the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance, Versus Arthritis and the Royal Osteoporosis Society for ensuring that the voices of the MSK community have been well heard in the consultation.

[Baroness Burt of Solihull (LD)]

My Lords, 30% of GP consultations are for people with musculoskeletal problems. As a previous back sufferer who has made use of chiropractors in the past, I know personally the transformation that chiropractic treatment can achieve. I can afford that treatment, but many NHS patients cannot, so why can chiropractors not practise across the NHS, when waiting lists for treatment on the NHS are causing the loss of over 6 million working days every year?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

The noble Baroness is absolutely right to highlight the extent of the impact of MSK conditions not just on individuals but on our economy and our health service. However, to extend my earlier comments, chiropractic care is regarded as being in the category of complementary and alternative medicines. Some treatments have an evidence base that is not recognised by the majority of independent scientists, whereas others have been proven to work for a limited number of conditions. I appreciate the point that the noble Baroness is making, but probably the simplest way I would wrap it up is in talking of sufficient and reliable evidence, because that is what NHS commissioning at a national level is based upon.

[Lord Lexden (Con)]

My Lords, is it not the case that chiropractic treatment is included in the World Health Organization’s guidance on MSK conditions? Will the Government keep that guidance clearly in mind as they work, as I am sure they will be working, to develop a better approach to helping people with these painful conditions?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I am glad that the noble Lord acknowledges the ongoing work, because we are indeed exploring how best to support dealing with MSK conditions—not least to encourage and provide greater parity in the support that is given. That will be alongside the 10-year plan and the long-term workforce plan. Of course, we keep all evidence continually under review.

[Baroness Winterton of Doncaster (Lab)]

My Lords, I take the point my noble friend the Minister makes about national commissioning and the ability of integrated care boards to do some commissioning, but would not the answer be for the integrated care boards to get all preventative healthcare practitioners to sit down together and work out local strategies? It may well be that one condition can have an effect on another, and perhaps that would make the commissioning of chiropractors easier and fit in with a local preventative healthcare strategy.

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

My noble friend helpfully emphasises the point about the need to provide for local populations, and ICBs are in the pole position to do that. I am sure that noble Lords will recall that we recently announced changes in the NHS operating model to move power from the centre to local leaders. I particularly refer to the NHS planning guidance, whereby we follow the recommendations of the noble Lord, Lord Darzi, to take a whole new approach and reduce the number of national targets from 32 to 18. The reason for that is to give the local systems my noble friend refers to greater control and flexibility on how local funding is deployed. Indeed, one such model could be the one my noble friend referred to.

[Lord Rogan (UUP)]

My Lords, an estimated 30% of the population of the UK are burdened with a painful and debilitating MSK condition. That is over 20 million people in the United Kingdom. Given the Government’s priority of shifting treatment into communities in the 10-year health plan, will the Minister meet again with representatives from the chiropractic profession to hear how they can increase capacity for community MSK treatments?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I am certainly happy to have such discussions. Perhaps I could use this opportunity to say to noble Lords that part of the recently published elective reform plan sets out funding to boost bone density scanning—or DEXA—capacity, to provide an estimated 29,000 extra scans per year. The work goes on also to support workforce health. For example, we are commencing training so that over 200 doctors and nurses can undertake occupational health training and qualifications. The numbers of physios and OTs are increasing. This is very much work in progress. I certainly agree with what the noble Lord said about the impact and extent of this; it really does affect so many.

[The Lord Bishop of London]

My Lords, according to the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance report on health inequalities and deprivation, an important way to reduce health inequalities in these conditions, particularly in those groups of people who are underserved, is to help them to manage their own conditions. Often it is much harder because they often have more than one complex condition; often they are much more complex and are picked up much later. One of the recommendations was around moving NHS care into the community. Could the Minister tell us what the Government are doing to encourage the NHS to build partnerships with community groups, including faith groups, to seek to reduce inequalities in these conditions and communities?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

Working with community-based organisations, including faith communities, has come up a number of times in the 10-year plan consultation, as I am sure the right reverend Prelate will find. I would certainly associate myself with the comments about the importance of getting healthcare provided in the community.

[Lord Kamall (Con)]

I thank the Minister for giving me the time to ask a question. Following the tragic death of Joanna Kowalczyk in October 2021, the coroner has recently raised concerns over the fact that chiropractors are not required to request their patients’ medical records before they begin treatment. While I recognise that there is scepticism from many in the NHS, and in fact physiotherapists, towards osteopaths and chiropractors, will the Government take on board the recommendations of the coroner to look at changing guidance to ensure that all healthcare treatments require consideration of a patient’s medical history, especially as we move toward a digital single patient record that could be shared across our system of health and care?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

The noble Lord raises an important point about what is required before healthcare is provided. I can certainly assure the noble Lord that, as I know he is aware, where there is a coroner’s report, we look at all of the lessons to be learned to consider how we might make it a safer and more effective environment for people. Certainly in the case to which he refers, that will happen.