Better care needed for rheumatoid arthritis patients

Too many people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are not diagnosed early enough and do not always get the support and information to best manage the disease.

That is according to a new report from the Commons public accounts committee, which states that failure to spot symptoms and delay to specialist diagnosis is preventing people from accessing early treatment.

Federico Moscogiuri, head of policy and campaigns at Arthritis Care, said: "Many of the challenges faced by people with RA are shared by millions more people with other types of musculoskeletal conditions."

According to the 2009 National Audit Office report, only 66 per cent of acute trusts are satisfied that GPs referred RA patients to them quickly enough.

While musculoskeletal conditions account for up to 30 per cent of GP visits, only 70 per cent of trainee doctors are given specialist teaching on the subject.

An estimated 580,000 people in England are living with the disease, with 26,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

The Coalition Government’s NHS Health Reforms for England have been watered down this week in response to the outcry from the medical profession and poor feedback from the public.  The NHS reforms now...

David Flory the NHS Deputy Chief Executive has admitted that the 18 week pledge which promises that you will start treatment within 18 weeks of your GP referring you, are being increasingly missed. In a...

Despite pledges by David Cameron to keep waiting times low, newly released figures indicate that the number of people waiting more than six weeks for key NHS tests has quadrupled in one year*. In June 2010...

Figures released by the Department of Health show that the number of people waiting for NHS care has gone up by 61% in a year. Nearly 12,000 people waited longer than six months for treatment, and 718 of these...

GPs should not refer women for labiaplasty on the NHS who are in good health but concerned about the appearance of their genitalia, experts say. Specialists at a Central London hospital say they have received...