Release date: 8th September 2014
£1/2 MILLION GRANT TO HELP
PEOPLE WITH ARTHRITIS IN LEEDS GET THEIR LIVES BACK
Arthritis Care, the national charity helping people with all forms of arthritis, has won an award of more than £1/2 million to help people in Leeds overcome the pain and disability caused by this condition.
Over seven hundred thousand people are living with osteoarthritis in Yorkshire and Humberside. Half of them have been forced to give up work or reduce walking as a result of their condition. 84% of them are concerned about whether they can live independently as a result of osteoarthritis.
Says Arthritis Care CEO Judi Rhys, "There is a pressing need to reach out and support people with arthritis in Yorkshire who face tremendous pain and disability in their everyday lives.
Our message is that practical support can help people get their lives back. We will be mobilising an army of volunteers in Central Lancashire, Kirklees and Leeds to help people with arthritis to develop the skills and confidence to manage their condition."
Arthritis is the largest cause of disability and pain in Britain with an estimated 10 million people with the condition. It can cause people to have to give up work and can have a huge impact on people's quality of life. Arthritis Care provides support to enable people to lessen the impact of their symptoms and get more out of life.
The Arthritis Champions programme trains volunteers to help people with arthritis to provide the support that enables people to reduce the impact of their symptoms on life, work and family.
Professor Philip Conaghan, Professor of Musculoskeletal Medicine at the University of Leeds and Medical Adviser to Arthritis Care, is a keen supporter of the Arthritis Care ‘Arthritis Champions' programme, with its emphasis on self-management and provision of structured support. "I have envisioned a programme like this for many years as the cost-effective way of providing a community-based and patient-led solution to our massive and increasing problem with arthritis. I am a strong supporter of this programme and hope very much that it will eventually be available on a national basis."
The programme was initially developed in two areas in the North of England, Chester and Gateshead, under the leadership of Arthritis Care's Area Development Manager, Susan Newsham.
Susan says "During our 2013 pilot we trainedseven Community Champions in the North-east and six in Chester and helped 846 people with arthritis. We found that this programme gave people more knowledge about their condition, helped people engage in activities to keep mobile and enabled them to manage their symptoms.
"100%of people who gave feedback found the service helpful, usually because they had someone to talk to about their condition "It has been so valuable to chat without the clock ticking".
"Others said they would try new ways to cope with their pain, had increased their knowledge about their condition, changed their diet or exercise programme to eat more healthily and keep moving. Some joined their local Arthritis Care branch or a 'chat' programme, both of which helped to reduce isolation.
The programme will be introduced in Leeds from 8th September 2014.
The charity is actively seeking volunteers with experience of arthritis to be our next Arthritis Champions, so please contact project manager Melanie Eve on 07711 557858MelanieE@arthritiscare.org.uk
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further information: Jane Lyons, media@arthritiscare.org.uk; 07834 418 457
Notes to editors
Department of Health's Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund (HSCVF)
Voluntary sector organisations submitted funding bids to the Department of Health setting out how they could help meet the Department's objectives of better health and well-being and better care for all and how their proposal has potential for national impact.
Minister for Care and Support Norman Lamb said: "These projects play a crucial role in supporting people, their families and carers. They are examples of just some of the excellent and innovative work going on throughout the country in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector - all of which help to create and support strong and resilient communities."
Arthritis Care
Arthritis Care is the leading UK patient support charity for people with all types of arthritis and a leading provider of self-management support. Volunteers are at the heart of our services with most having arthritis themselves. Arthritis is the largest single cause of disability in the UK and the most common form of chronic pain. Arthritis places an incredible burden on health services accounting for one in five of all GP appointments and over 140,000 hip and knee operations every year.
Arthritis Care was awarded up to £547,077 over three years from the most recent round ofHSCVF.
Arthritis in the Yorkshire and Humber
There are approximately 719,936 people living with osteoarthritis in Yorkshire and Humber with an average age at diagnosis of 56.
Over half (52%) have been forced to give up or reduce walking as a result of their osteoarthritis.
84% are concerned about maintaining their independence in the future because of their osteoarthritis.
Over a third (41%) of osteoarthritis patients who have received treatment find their treatment to be not very / or at all effective in helping them manage their condition.