Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the provision of rheumatology care in Enfield North constituency in the last (a) 12 and (d) 24 months.

No specific assessment has been made. Both Enfield hospitals, The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and North Middlesex University Hospital provide specialist rheumatology services. National Health Service providers and commissioners work to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines for rheumatology when commissioning or delivering care. Patients in Enfield with musculoskeletal problems can also access a first contact practitioner (FCP) without needing a referral from their general practitioner. FCPs work at various community locations around the borough. In September 2022, a new Community Diagnostic Centre also opened in Wood Green Shopping Centre, offering NHS scans and tests.