Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline Rheumatoid arthritis: The management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults, published in 2009, emphasises the need for early diagnosis, with urgent referral to a specialist rheumatologist on suspicion of rheumatoid arthritis.

NICE also published a quality standard on rheumatoid arthritis in June 2013. Quality standards are concise sets of prioritised statements designed to drive measurable quality improvements within a particular area of health or care. The standard makes seven statements which are indicators of good care. This includes a statement on referral that sets out that people with suspected rheumatoid arthritis are referred to a rheumatology service within three working days of presentation. It also includes a statement on assessment which recommends that people with suspected rheumatoid arthritis are assessed in a rheumatology service within three weeks of referral.

In March this year Public Health England and the Department ran a local pilot campaign to raise awareness of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in Nottingham City and Hardwick Clinical Commissioning Groups. The aim of the campaign was to support earlier diagnosis and treatment to improve the quality of life for people with rheumatoid arthritis and an assessment is being made of its effectiveness.