Community musculoskeletal (MSK) providers in England are now invited to bid for a share of £4.6m funding to support the recovery of community MSK waiting times.
GIRFT is inviting applications from commissioned MSK teams where patients are waiting more than 18 weeks for appointments, to fund local initiatives and interventions which can help reduce the backlog.
The deadline for bids is 14 August 2026, with allocation decided by September. For more information on the bidding process, email england.girftmsk@nhs.net
MSK conditions affect more than 17 million people in England, with their prevalence increasing with age and higher among more deprived communities. MSK health is fundamental to wellbeing and impacts on every aspect of life, including work, learning, caring responsibilities, travel and leisure, exercise, sport and living independently. Community MSK services support diagnosis, optimise referrals and help people manage MSK conditions safely and confidently.
Since 2024, GIRFT has run the MSK Community Delivery Programme (CDP) – funded by government’s Joint Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) and delivered by GIRFT – with the aim of reducing 18-week waiting lists and ultimately enabling more people living with conditions like arthritis and back pain receive faster care and get back to work.
The MSK CDP was rolled out nationally in May 2026 following the success of the initial pilot, which reduced 18-week waiting lists by 20% in the 17 pilot ICBs. Further to the £3.2m of funding from the JWHD announced in May 2026, additional funding from NHS England has been identified to enable local systems to prioritise timely access to care.
The invitation for funding bids follows the publication of NHS England’s adult community musculoskeletal (MSK) service specification – a collaboration between GIRFT and NHS England’s Community Services team in response to demand from community MSK colleagues.
The document defines the minimum standards that a community musculoskeletal service is expected to meet to improve service quality, reduce waiting times and deliver the best outcomes and experience for patients.
Commissioners can use it to guide how their service is designed, delivered, monitored and improved, and adapt it locally to meet local needs and support integrated care system (ICS) strategic commissioning, in line with the ambitions of the strategic commissioning framework and Medium Term Planning Framework.
Andy Bennett, GIRFT’s clinical lead for community MSK, said:
“This service specification has been frequently requested as we’ve carried out our targeted support work, so it’s great to see it published to help guide the delivery and improvement of services nationally.
Alongside the £4.6m of funding for waiting lists initiatives, this presents a fantastic opportunity for cMSK colleagues to launch initiatives which can make a real difference for their patients.”
