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What issues are important to you?
Two years ago Arthritis Care in Scotland asked people what issues about living with arthritis were important to them. From this we developed our campaign priorities and our Challenge for the Scottish Parliament. We want to find out whether the issues we should campaign about have changed, and we need you to tell us what is important to you now.
The current priorities are that:
- The list of conditions for which people are exempt from paying prescription charges should be extended to include all long term conditions including arthritis.
- All disabled parking bays should be legally enforceable and should be marked with sufficient space to allow any car door to be fully opened so that disabled occupants can get in and out of the car.
- Access to hydrotherapy exercise classes should be available to all those with arthritis who can benefit. Better use should be made of existing facilities, and new ones developed wherever possible.
- Every person living with arthritis and/ or other long term conditions in Scotland should have access to support, training and education, including psychological support, as appropriate and when required, enabling them to self manage their condition.
There have been developments on many of these issues, for example:
- All prescription charges will be abolished in April 2011, and the cost of a prepayment certificate has been halved from 1 April 2008 with further reductions in 2009 and 2010.
- Jackie Baillie has presented a bill to the Scottish parliament to make all disabled parking spaces enforceable by law.
- The Scottish government has developed a strategy for self management in Scotland.
We have already had some new suggestions such as hospital parking charges, the provision of care at home, the introduction of a heating allowance for disabled people, changes to GP surgery times and out of hours treatment, and provision of rheumatology services.
What is important to you? What improvements would you like to see? You can email your ideas to scotland@arthritiscare.org.uk or contact Katy Green at the Scotland office. Please get your ideas to us by the end of July 2008.
