At the moment, a backlog in hospitals and excessive delays mean that only around 10 percent of patients begin treatment for arthritis within three months of GP referral, which is the target recommended by NICE. The news has been welcomed by a number of senior rheumatology experts.
The NICE guidelines state that it is ideal for patients to begin treatment within three months of initial onset of inflammatory arthritis symptoms. A recent report into the area found a huge variation in treatment times and the outcome from the treatment across the UK. With the new procedures in place, adult patients with new-onset inflammatory arthritis should be seen by a rheumatologist within three weeks of being referred by a GP.
Patients should then receive their diagnosis and start their course of treatment within six weeks of being referred. They will then be entitled to regular check-ups with a doctor until the condition is at a manageable stage. This is definitely good news as it means that we can look forward to faster diagnosis of arthritis in the future.
The tariffs were developed in line with NICE guidance by the Department of Health, the British Society for Rheumatology and the charity Arthritis UK. It showed that the Department of Health also advised GPs to continue referring patients who have suspected early inflammatory arthritis within a maximum of six weeks of onset.