Work and health

On Wednesday 15 October, Arthritis Care presented a report to MPs at Westminster indicating the extent of avoidable arthritis-related unemployment in the UK.

The report, based upon a survey of people with arthritis, reveals that many people living with the condition feel they have not been supported to remain in work.

70% of respondents no longer working cited their arthritis as the main reason they left employment, while 85% of respondents currently working expressed concern that they may have to leave work because of their arthritis.

Please click on the link below to download the report.

Arthritis Care has held a seminar in Westminster on work and health issues for people with arthritis.

A person's health is very important to their working life, and working life can be equally important to a person's health. This is particularly true for people with arthritis. Knowing this, it is disappointing that these two elements are not always considered together during service and support planning.

On 15 October, Arthritis Care brought together MPs, employers, health professionals and people with arthritis to contribute to a lively discussion on how people living with arthritis can be supported to remain in or return to work.

We asked a number of important questions, including:

• What are the main obstacles to remaining in work?
• Is current health policy enabling people with arthritis to remain in or return to work whenever they are able to?
• Do people with arthritis have access to all the services that could help them manage their arthritis and remain in or return to work?

We hope people left the seminar with a fuller understanding of some of the challenges facing people with arthritis at work and the measures that can be taken by employers, health professionals and policy-makers to support them.

Many thanks to everyone who completed our recent survey on work and health. We had a huge response, making this a significant contribution to our ongoing campaigns work for people with arthritis.

If you would like to contribute to our ongoing activities around work and health for people with arthritis, please email us about your experiences.

Have you had access to the services and support you need to remain in or start work? What have been the main obstacles to returning to work? Have your colleagues and employers been understanding about your needs?

Hearing your stories is extremely valuable to our work, so please do get in touch at campaigns@arthritiscare.org.uk.