To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to tackle disability due to musculoskeletal conditions.

The mandate sets out the Government's ambitions for the health service for the next two years. It includes an objective for the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) to make measurable progress towards making the national health service among the best in Europe at supporting people with ongoing health problems to live healthily and independently, with much better control over the care they receive. It is for the board to decide how they will carry this out; the Government will hold them to account, and the board will in turn hold clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to account, for the outcomes they achieve.

CCGs will therefore have the primary responsibility for determining what steps are needed to minimise the disability resulting from musculoskeletal conditions. Early diagnosis will play a crucial part especially for inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. To support local commissioners, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published clinical guidelines and other guidance on a number of musculoskeletal conditions, and NICE Quality Standards for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions are in preparation. In addition the NHS CB have recently announced the appointment of a national clinical director for musculoskeletal conditions who will consider what other steps could be taken at national level to support high quality local commissioning.