The government has announce £3.2 million of government funding for the expansion of NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme.
The programme builds on a successful pilot, which cut 18-week waiting lists by 20 per cent across 17 areas between December 2024 and March 2025.
The new funding will support MSK community appointment days, one-day clinics that bring health specialists and mental health support and physical activity services together, allowing people to engage with multiple services in one visit.
It will also be used to support ‘super clinics’, which rapidly increase clinical capacity and provide one-to-one, in-depth clinical diagnostics and targeted treatments.
Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Sharon Hodgson, said: "I’m delighted to announce the national rollout of such a successful scheme, which will help address the unacceptably long waits for painful MSK conditions.
"Patients are suffering, and so is the economy, which is why this government is taking a new approach to cutting waiting lists while supporting patients back into employment.
"The NHS should drive economic growth, and by getting people with painful MSK conditions the care they need faster, they stand a better chance of getting a job and back to normal life."
Professor Tim Briggs, National Director for Clinical Improvement and Elective Recovery at NHS England and Chair of the GIRFT programme, said: "It’s hugely encouraging to see this transformative initiative now being expanded across every health system in England after seeing waiting lists fall by 20% across 17 pilot areas in just a few months.
"MSK conditions are one of the biggest drivers of sickness absence and economic inactivity, affecting around 17 million people nationwide. This rollout will help many more patients get faster access to high-quality care closer to home.
"By bringing together clinical care, employment support and wider community services under one roof, the GIRFT programme is transforming how the NHS supports people - helping patients not only recover more quickly, but return to work, independence and everyday life."
