A pilot scheme that helps people with muscle, bone and joint problems be seen sooner ran in 17 NHS areas, and Greater Manchester was one of them, with Oldham named alongside Manchester in the list. The Community Delivery Programme was backed by £3.5 million from the Department for Work and Pensions and run through NHS England's Getting It Right First Time initiative.

Around 7,500 people living with musculoskeletal issues, known as MSK, were seen quicker in the parts of the country with the longest waiting times. The funding contributed to a 20 percent cut in 18 plus week community MSK waiting lists across the 17 areas between December 2024 and March 2025.

The pilot tested digital tools that let people manage their conditions remotely, and one-day clinics that bring health specialists together with mental health support and physical activity services. The idea was that patients could deal with several services in a single visit rather than being passed between appointments.

The government frames the scheme as part of its drive to reduce economic inactivity. It says around 2.8 million people are signed off due to long-term sickness, with more than half a million of those because of MSK conditions.

Minister for Employment Dame Diana Johnson MP said: "No one should feel locked out of work due to health issues. We invested in this support to help people get well and get working."

She added that "musculoskeletal patients are getting the help they need and innovation supports them to get one step closer to work and gets people off waiting lists."

The pilot sits alongside a wider support offer backed by £3.5 billion by the end of the decade. Connect to Work is intended to provide personalised help for 300,000 people by 2030, and 1,000 Pathways to Work advisers are now based in Jobcentres across England, Wales and Scotland, working with people on health-related benefits who have no requirement to work.

The Department of Health and Social Care links the approach to its 10 Year Health Plan and the Neighbourhood Health Service vision, in which patients get a range of services under one roof. On 26 March, the government announced 27 Neighbourhood Health Centres will be open by 2027, offering urgent treatment, GP and pharmacy services. The first 50 of a total 250 centres are backed by £200 million in total investment.

Health Minister Stephen Kinnock said: "Offering multiple services under one roof, with tailored care for that specific person, is part of our mission to build a true Neighbourhood Health Service."

Professor Tim Briggs, national director for clinical improvement and elective recovery at NHS England, said back pain, arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions are key causes of sickness absence. He said the pilots had cut waiting lists by 20 per cent, and that the Getting It Right First Time work had led to innovative ways of working among participating NHS teams, with patients able to get help from multiple services in one visit, including mental health, employment support and debt management advice.

A second cohort of the scheme is under way in six Integrated Care Boards, supported by £2.2 million. The government says future plans will be shared in due course.

MSK conditions are the leading cause of Years Lived with Disability in England and a major driver of GP appointments. The evaluation of the first cohort is published on the Getting It Right First Time website.