MP reply

[allanah]

I lobbied my MP The RT Hon William Hague MP as part of a campaign about raising your MP's awareness of RA by NRAS .

I dont think he will mind me paraphrasing and sharing his reply.

I states thank you for contacting me about Rheumatoid arthritis. I recognize the Impact the musculoskeletal disease (MSDs) can have on individuals. The Government is committed to ensuring the services for people suffering with MSDs are consistent and that people get access to the right services at the right time.

He is pleased that the treatment of long term conditions such as arthritis is one of the NHS areas prioritised by the Sec State for Health and featured prominently in the mandate to NHS England and the NHS outcome frameworks. The mandate emphasises the Government's ambition to provide people with personalised care plans and better coordinated individual care.

He continues again paraphrasing, It is for NHS England and local commissioners to undertake appropriate campaigns on arthritis.NICE has published a new Quality Standard for RA.

The government also welcomes the appointment of Professor Peter Kay as the first national clinical director of MSDs and will he will advise on specific initiatives and be able to access what other steps could be taken on a natina. level to support high quality local commissioning.

So I hope you all keep telling your MP and maybe even Mr Hague about RA to raise its awareness in parliament. That NRAS continue to fight for us in commissioning of services and work on our behalf or with our help with Professor Peter Kay ( Garlic?bread? lol) and keep this raising awareness ball rolling, well that what I think anyway!! lol Axx

[sylvi]

Lip service thats about all he is saying. I wonder if he is aware that RA and associated diseases cost more money long term than cancer,yet cancer still gets the most money. Sorry for the moan.Hope your well allanah.xxxx

[Hidden in reply to sylvi]

Are you sure about them costing more long-term than cancer Sylvi? So many people are affected by cancer - I think its one in three now - whereas for RA I believe its approximately one in a hundred? But I do also get really fed up with everyone assuming cancer is so much more important and serious than other diseases such as RA, Lupus, Crohns, MS etc. if all these autoimmune diseases were groupled together insure they would cost the UK more than cancer does.

I sent a letter Leo Watson had prepared to six MSPs and one alerting my MP, Lib-Dem whip, Alistair Carmichael to RA Awareness week.

Five MSPs wrote back to me thanking me and saying they have all signed the motion supporting early diagnosis and treatment and raising awareness for RA that is going before the Scottish Parliament shortly. Each reply was a bit different and the one from my own MSP was really warm and helpful. Its a great feeling doing something really useful to support NRAS and RA awareness isn't it? X

[allanah]

maybe but it was more about raising his awareness of RA, so he has obviously had to look at this and read it, so maybe when questions come up he is aware his constituents have this problem and what RA is!!

[Nildesperandum]

I wrote to my MP too and the letter I got back was exactly the same as yours by the sound of it. Must be a standard letter they have put together

[francherry]

Thanks for posting this Allanah. I'd been meaning to write to my MP for a while but haven't had a chance as I've had so many health appointments (5 in the past 3 days). Will be interesting to see if my MP Emily Thornberry writes a similar response.