18/04/2026
Community waiting lists for MSK treatment have risen from 333,000 to over 393,000 in the past year alone. For many people that means months of waiting while struggling to work, sleep, or get through the day.
The Government's GIRFT pilot is a real step forward. Community-based MSK services can reduce hospital pressure, improve outcomes, and help people return to work sooner. That recognition is welcome and long overdue, but the pilot reached around 7,500 people, and the waiting list has 393,000.
One immediate way to expand capacity is to make better use of the existing regulated MSK workforce already present in communities around the country.
Chiropractors are embedded in communities across the UK, able to see patients quickly, and BCA research suggests the profession could deliver at least 100,000 additional appointments each year, potentially unlocking up to £400 million in productivity gains by helping people back into work sooner.
As BCA President Tim Button said: "Fully integrating chiropractic into NHS pathways, such as granting AHP Status, would not be a marginal gain. It's a practical, immediate way to drastically cut MSK wait times and keep people in work."
Integrating chiropractic more fully into NHS pathways offers a practical, scalable solution, one that can deliver immediate benefits for patients, the workforce, and the wider economy.
We're here, we're ready, and we want to help.
Read our full response here: https://chiropractic-uk.co.uk/news/unlocking-msk-capacity-our-response-governments-girft-pilot
