Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of NHS services for people with rheumatoid arthritis.

The commissioning and configuration of rheumatoid arthritis services in England is a local matter. The local National Health Service is best placed to make decisions that ensure services meet the needs of resident populations in the most appropriate way. Service should be planned and delivered in line with the best available evidence, such as National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.

Regarding assessment, in May 2018, a new three-year Rheumatoid and Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit was commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership. More information can be found at the following link:

www.rheumatology.org.uk/Knowledge/Excellence/Audits

The findings of the Audit are due to be published in October 2019. However, previous Audit reports can be found at the following link:

www.hqip.org.uk/national-programmes/a-z-of-nca/arthritis-rheumatoid-and-early-inflammatory