Giving people with arthritis a voice to explain why work matters

In autumn 2016 we told you about the launch of our Work Matters to Me campaign, arguing for greater support for people with arthritis to return to, and remain in, work. Thanks to your active support the first stage of the campaign has ensured people with arthritis have been given an opportunity to explain to policymakers why work matters to them.More than 260 people responded to our campaign call to share their views and experiences about work and arthritis. This fantastic response meant your stories featured heavily in the evidence submitted in the Arthritis Research UK response to the Government’s Disability Employment consultation. 346 of our supporters also got involved, writing to the Government, asking them to create a level playing field for people with arthritis, so everyone with the condition can flourish in the workplace.Next stepsIn February, we entered the next stage of our campaign by holding a drop-in session at Parliament for over 50 MPs giving them the opportunity to find out about the challenges facing people living and working with arthritis. We then asked MPs to write to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions reinforcing the recommendations from our campaign to close the arthritis work gap, which included:increased funding for the Access to Work Scheme for those in workensuring back-to-work schemes like Work Choice and the Work and Health Programme cater for people with arthritisensuring that the health and care system supports improvement throu...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news