Do it! Get involved! Arthritis Care works with and for people who have any type of arthritis. We are here to help you better manage your arthritis, and stay active, independent and connected Worked up? Speak up The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care services in England. It makes sure health and social care services – including GP surgeries, hospitals, and care homes – provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and encourages care services to improve. In a CQC poll of 2,000 adults in England, only eight per cent of people aged 65 and over said they were likely to make a formal complaint about a health or social care service. In comparison, more than double (21 per cent) of the general adult population say they are likely to make a formal complaint. CQC’s ‘Worked up? Speak Up’ campaign wants older people to share their experiences of care. By providing CQC with feedback – confidentially if you wish – you will help improve the overall quality of care in England. Your feedback could help CQC prevent poor care and abuse happening to others in the future. For more information, or to share your experiences with CQC, click here or call 03000 616161. Date for your diary This year, we’ll be making Time for Tea from 10–16 October. So why not join us, brew up and host a tea party for your friends? Louise Rayner (pictured right) has rheumatoid arthritis and wanted to raise funds to offer support, especially to those who felt isolated as a result of their condition. Along with her sister Sarah (left), who runs a tea shop in Derby, they raised £964.50. Last year, 41 tea parties raised £8,000 for Arthritis Care. We want to make 2016 even bigger and better! Every penny raised makes a massive difference. To register for Time for Tea, or to discuss how you could get involved, contact Lindsey here or 020 7380 6559 or register your interest online. IT’s enough To gIve you The PIP The government has announced that it will not be taking forward the proposed changes to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) that had been announced in the Budget. This will come as a relief to many people with arthritis who are reliant on PIP for vital support to live independently. We were one of the 60 charities that spoke out against the changes. We also welcome the promise from the Minister for Work and Pensions to talk to organisations on welfare and health. ElEction timE With the numbers of people living with arthritis rising sharply, it’s been a good time to secure the attention and support of politicians in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. With the information you gave us on the barriers to living well with arthritis, we published manifestos, raised awareness in the media and called on candidates to pledge their support in the run up to the elections. We’ll be following up with successfully elected politicians, pressing them to make arthritis a health priority over the coming months and years. If you’d like to find out more, contact: Wales: Hywel Evans 029 204 44155 or email here Northern Ireland: John McCormack 028 9078 2940 or email here Scotland: Alan McGinley 0141 954 7776 or email here