The Government considers waiting times for orthopaedic surgery, including those who require operations for arthritis, an urgent priority. To date, £5.4 billion of funding has been committed to reduce the backlog of operations, including for hip and knee replacements. In addition to this, the number of surgical hubs will be increased to deliver more hip and knee replacements in a COVID-secure environment.
NHS England and Improvement has published a plan for the recovery of elective care in England and launched the My Planned Care platform to ensure that people waiting for treatment have access to information and support while awaiting surgery.
The Government firmly upholds that cutting waiting times for surgery is an urgent priority and will continue collaboration with sufferers of arthritis to understand their difficulties while on waiting lists.