Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he takes to ensure that every patient newly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis is referred to podiatry services for early examination.

Provision of podiatry service is a local matter. The guideline Rheumatoid arthritis in adults: management, updated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in 2015, recommends that all people with rheumatoid arthritis who have foot problems should have access to a podiatrist for assessment and periodic review of their foot health needs. We expect commissioners to take NICE guidance into account when planning services for local populations. The guideline can be found at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg79