Left Waiting, Left Behind: The Reality of Living with Arthritis report

Main findings

• Arthritis affects every aspect of life - from health, hobbies, relationships and mental health. People feel underinformed and unsupported with their arthritis condition.
• The impact of arthritis is uneven and unfair - there are clear and consistent health inequalities with younger people, people with autoimmune arthritis conditions and people from lower social grades having a poorer experience living with their arthritis.
• People are waiting too long – for both diagnosis and treatment, people feel they are waiting too long. But the value of a diagnosis is clear, it validates experiences and opens doors to treatment and support.
• Barriers to effective care are preventing people from living the lives they want to lead – people feel they are not receiving timely and effective treatment, and it is impacting their ability to live well.
• People with arthritis are being financially squeezed – arthritis can increase the personal cost of living whilst simultaneously impacting the ability to earn.

The reality of living with arthritis is clear, and we urge policymakers to take action.

Our policy recommendations

This means:

• Recognising arthritis and related MSK conditions as a major public health issue. To deliver high-quality services and support, arthritis and MSK conditions require adequate levels of investment, alongside targeted and joined-up work across governments.
• Ensuring people with arthritis have equal access to personalised treatment and care no matter where they live, as well as the ability to take an active role in decisions that affect their lives.
• Improving the quality and availability of arthritis and MSK health data.
• Embedding training for all frontline healthcare professionals to improve diagnosis and support for people with arthritis.
• Protecting people from being pushed into poverty as a result of their arthritis, through a compassionate benefits system and improved workplace support.

Over 10 million adults, young people and children in the UK are living with a form of arthritis – a condition which is one of the leading forms of disability in the UK and can affect anyone. And yet, arthritis and its impact are largely misunderstood and/or minimised by healthcare practitioners, the public and policymakers.

To improve the lives of those living with it, arthritis, and associated MSK conditions, must be recognised as a major public health issue. They must be given adequate levels of investment, alongside targeted and joined up work across governments.

The experiences shared in this report are not an inevitable part of living with arthritis. Things can and should be different. Through the development and improvement of consistency in service provision through targeted frameworks, the inclusion of lived experience in decision making, improvements in data quality and collection, and the introduction of new training for frontline healthcare professionals we can ensure that people with arthritis can lead full and fulfilling lives.

Our methodology

We surveyed people:

• with any type of arthritis condition, with or without a formal diagnosis
• over the age of 18
• living in the UK

This report draws on the findings of an online survey of 7,928 people living with arthritis in the UK, commissioned by Arthritis UK and carried out by YouGov in 2024. Findings were weighted to ensure they are broadly representative of the 10 million people with arthritis across the UK.

Survey data

View the survey questions that were asked

View the results data tables