Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to promote musculoskeletal health.

Whilst not all musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are preventable, physical activity can play an important part in reducing risk of developing certain MSK disorders and managing MSK symptoms. Regular physical activity that meets national guidelines on frequency and intensity can reduce an individual’s risk of developing joint and back pain by 25% and can improve symptoms for people with MSK conditions.

MSK health is a priority for Public Health England (PHE) and a number of tools and resources have been produced to raise awareness of the risk factors associated with MSK health and the evidence based interventions to prevent, detect and treat MSK conditions. Information has been aimed at the public and the National Health Service/public health workforce through marketing campaigns such as One You, Making Every Contact Count and through the PHE Health Matters blog available at the following links:

www.nhs.uk/oneyou/

www.makingeverycontactcount.co.uk/

https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/public-health-matters/

The Department works with PHE, NHS England and local authorities to promote physical activity. The ‘Providing physical activity interventions for people with musculoskeletal conditions’ report, published in March 2017 is the result of collaboration between Arthritis Research UK, PHE, NHS England and the Department. The report reviews the benefits of physical activity both for people with MSK conditions and wider society and provides a framework that supports a tiered approach to intervention. More information can be found at the following link:

www.arthritisresearchuk.org/policy-and-public-affairs/policy-reports/physical-activity-report.aspx