On 27th February, the BOA held a Westminster Roundtable event jointly with the charity Versus Arthritis and the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) on the subject of barriers in patient access to NHS hip and knee replacements. The event was attended by two MPs and a member of the House of Lords, and aimed to raise their awareness of challenges for patients accessing care and the different policies and thresholds of CCGs for these patients. We, Versus Arthritis and ARMA are increasingly concerned about these CCG policies and are keen to raise this up the political agenda. 

Despite a delayed start due to Brexit votes, there was a very productive discussion. We agreed to follow up with further events and dialogue including a cross party meeting with influential politicians. More details on our activities in this area will follow in future news emails and the JTO.

 

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BOA President Professor Phil Turner, Professor John Skinner and Tim Wilton attended the parliamentary roundtable for the BOA.