Be part of the solution and make a difference
|
Category:
Latest feature
What does it mean for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis?
In case it passed you by this week, the UK has a new Prime Minister. Andy Burnham has taken over from Keir Starmer, and one of his first acts was appointing Yvette Cooper as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
She's the third person to hold that job in just over two years, following Wes Streeting and James Murray. For the million-plus people in the UK living with psoriasis, and everyone managing psoriatic arthritis alongside it, a reshuffle like this always raises the same practical questions.
Will access to newly NICE-approved treatments stay a priority, or get lost in the noise of a new government finding its feet? Ms Cooper's early stated priorities are maternity services and social care , so we'll be watching to see where dermatology and rheumatology fit in.
Mr Burnham has talked about a National Care Service for years, reportedly with an £18 billion plan behind it this time. For people whose psoriatic arthritis affects mobility or daily living, how social care gets reformed matters just as much as how the NHS itself is run.
There's also a stronger prevention and community care message coming from this government. Psoriasis carries real cardiovascular and metabolic risks, so we'll be looking for that to translate into genuinely joined-up care, not just a talking point.
It's very early days and we don't have answers yet. But we'll be keeping a close eye on this for you, and making the case that psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis shouldn't fall down the priority list during the transition. If you'd like to share how a policy change is affecting your own care, get in touch.