We recognise the effect that poor health can have on economic inactivity and that the economy relies on a healthy population.

The 10-Year Health Plan will support people with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions like arthritis to better manage their condition and access services and support through the three shifts: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. For example, the shift from hospital to community will enable people with MSK conditions to access a range of additional services to support the management of their condition and treatment closer to home.

In line with this shift, the Government has funded NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme to deploy their proven Further Faster model for MSK community services. The programme has been designed to reduce waiting times for community MSK appointments and to enhance access to quality treatment, working with integrated care board leaders to improve data and metrics and referral pathways to wider support services.

We are working together to further develop the approach to better enable integrated care systems to commission the delivery of high quality MSK services in the community, which will benefit patients now and into the future.

Additionally, the Further Faster 20 scheme, which is an extension of the existing Further Faster Programme, is designed to help reduce waiting lists across multiple specialities at 20 targeted hospital trusts located in areas with the highest levels of economic inactivity.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local population, including for those with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users, and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that meet patients’ needs.

When commissioning services, ICBs should take into account best practice guidance, such as that published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The NICE guideline Chronic pain (primary and secondary) in over 16s provides a framework for healthcare professionals to consistently and effectively assess and manage chronic pain in people aged 16 years old and over.

The 10-Year Health Plan will improve services for people with EDS and other long-term conditions across England by shifting care to the community with neighbourhood teams, expanding access to physiotherapy and rehabilitation, and using digital innovation to help patients self-manage and receive more integrated, personalised care. This approach aims to provide more proactive and accessible support by bringing services closer to home and making it easier for patients to access the help they need.

We will also publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to ensure that the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, and with the right skills, to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it, including those with EDS. We have recently published a call for evidence to gather views from stakeholders on the specific professions, roles, skills, and training needed to implement the reforms outlined in our 10-Year Health Plan for England.

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases through the UK Rare Diseases Framework.

Much of the routine care that people with chronic pain, such as some people with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), receive will be provided by local primary, community and a secondary care service commissioned via local integrated care boards (ICBs). The commissioning of these services is a local matter. In some cases, patients may receive care at Specialist Pain Centres. Details on commissioning of those services are available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/adult-highly-specialist-pain-management-services/.

The fourth priority of the Framework is improved access to specialist care, treatment and drugs. In February 2025, the England Rare Diseases Action Plan 2025 was published, including progress made under this priority:

- Meeting to discuss the effectiveness of early access pathways for rare disease therapies;

- Launching a review of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence highly specialised technology programme for evaluating rare disease treatments; and

- Introducing two new actions on reforming clinical trial regulations; and developing an operational framework for individualised therapies in the National Health Service.

Pioneering research is an underpinning theme of the Framework. The Department for Health and Social Care funds and supports research into rare diseases such as CRPS through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including rare diseases. The usual practice of the NIHR and other research funders is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics.

The 2025 England Rare Disease Action Plan includes information on research for rare diseases through significant investments to support rare disease research. This includes the Rare Disease Research UK Platform (RDR UK), a £14 million investment over 5 years from the Medical Research Council (MRC) and NIHR, announced in 2023, which is now established and positioned well within the rare disease research landscape. In December 2024, the MRC launched the first 2 MRC Centres of Research Excellence (CoRE), both studying gene therapies, and each worth up to £50 million over 14 years.

The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is currently funding a £2.7 million study that aims to find out if adding testosterone to standard hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can reduce menopausal symptoms beyond its effect on sexual function. This research will provide health care professionals with the evidence required to have informed discussions with their patients and will help to shape and inform better menopause care for women. A separate study is exploring inequalities in menopause care. Through interviews with women and with healthcare professionals in general practice, this research aims to understand the experiences of obtaining information, care, and support for the menopause in general practice.

The NIHR is also currently funding research to determine whether there are ethnic and social disparities in HRT prescribing in the United Kingdom. This information will inform future work to develop a risk calculator to show a woman’s individual risks or benefits from taking HRT, providing the first UK data on women who are taking HRT, which will identify a cohort who are not taking HRT and estimate a potential unmet need.

The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of women’s health, including research on patient and health care professionals’ experiences of menopause care and on the prescription of HRT.