South Derbyshire MP Heather Wheeler joined people living with AS, healthcare professionals and NASS in Parliament to learn more about what action can be taken to improve the standards of care for people with AS in England.
NASS were launching their ‘AS It Is’ campaign which urges NHS England to widely recognise access to physiotherapy as a treatment for AS and to support patients with AS to be more physically active. More also needs to be done by NHS England to recognise the delay in AS diagnosis and put more resources into education for healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals should also ensure that work is discussed at appointments and people with AS should have access to an occupational therapist.
The campaign is supported by a number of AS patients on social media, who are backing these calls using the hashtag #AS_It_Is.
Heather Wheeler said: “I wholly support NASS’s ‘AS It Is’ campaign in calling for improved diagnosis times and treatment, access to physiotherapy and supporting patients to stay active. Early diagnosis is critical for people with ankylosing spondylitis because it is a progressive condition with symptoms that, when not addressed properly, can be quite debilitating, draining and painful.”
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