Over 10 million people in the UK are now living with the debilitating condition

On Monday, Mike showed his support for people with arthritis in Dudley South, at a Drop-In event hosted by charity Versus Arthritis in the Houses of Parliament. He heard that according to a new report by the charity, over 10 million people in the UK are living with arthritis – that’s one in six of us.

At the event, he spoke directly to people with arthritis and NHS professionals about what it is like living with the debilitating condition. The pain of arthritis can take away your ability to work, care for a family, and live independently, and according to Versus Arthritis, the condition will cost the NHS an eye-watering £118 billion over the next decade.

The charity also presented findings from its new report, the State of Musculoskeletal Health 2023, which reveals that arthritis is one of the leading causes of sickness absence in the UK, causing 23 million lost working days in 2021 alone. Many of those who cannot work due to arthritis are waiting for joint replacement surgery, which has some of the longest waiting times in the UK.

Mike is committed to supporting constituents with arthritis, and to bringing down waiting lists for treatment.