26/11/2025
Wonderful news 🫶🏻
We have some fantastic news to share! Health ministers across the UK have agreed to extend the UK Rare Diseases Framework by one year!
This is a vital step that ensures continuity in rare conditions policy and allows each nation to continue delivering their Rare Diseases Action Plans. This means ongoing momentum in driving improvements in care for our community, building on the foundations established over the last five years.
This success is a direct result of the tireless campaigning and unwavering dedication of the rare conditions community over the past 12 months. We’d like to thank all our members for supporting our UK Rare Diseases Framework campaign.
Nick Meade, Genetic Alliance UK Chief Executive:
'This is amazing news, and testament to our community's advocacy work. This year will give us both continuity for ongoing work, and the time to remake the case that a) we need an overarching rare condition policy and b) it needs to be UK-wide. We now have a year to make this important case, and I'm proud Genetic Alliance UK will be convening a multistakeholder conversation to deliver this message.'
While we celebrate this extension, we know there is still much to do. As highlighted in our RDD 2025 report, 'More than you can imagine; opportunities for improving the lives of people with rare conditions' (geneticalliance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/More-than-you-can-imagine-Opportunities-for-improving-the-lives-of-people-living-with-rare-conditions.pdf) too many are still waiting years for a diagnosis, experiencing disjointed care, and struggling to access vital services.
This one-year extension is a crucial opportunity for our community to refocus, develop priorities, and shape what the longer-term future of rare conditions policy should look like.
Genetic Alliance UK, working with our members and key stakeholders from the rare conditions community, will now start work to bring together the collective voices of people with lived experience who know best how the system needs to change.
Visit our website for info on our framework campaign and our work to secure this extension (geneticalliance.org.uk/our-campaign-for-a-new-uk-rare-diseases-framework/)