Rheumatology National Clinical Programme

To adopt a chronic disease model of care, to facilitate “the right person, right place, first time” approach to the patient with rheumatic disease

Quality

To reduce mortality associated with rheumatic diseases
To improve both short-term and long-term outcome measures (e.g. Disease activity scores) in patients with rheumatic diseases
To reduce physical/mental/vocational disability related to rheumatic diseases

Access

Primary care team:

Full national roll out of primary care teams and appropriate clinical infrastructure.
To reduce overall the numbers of patients referred to rheumatology OPDs by encouraging management in primary care as appropriate

Secondary Care:

To reduce waiting lists for all rheumatology referrals to < 6 months within 1 year
To reduce waiting lists for all rheumatology referrals to < 3 months within 2 years
Allow fast tracking of early inflammatory arthritis and systemic disease in order to reduce waiting times for such urgent referrals to < 2 weeks within 1 year.

Interface between Primary care and Secondary Care:

Develop interface clinics/consultations between primary and secondary care services.
To develop/agree/implement national referral guidelines for all patients with MSK disease within 1 year

Cost

To identify potential efficiencies and savings within the system
To reduce MSK-related work disability
By ensuring timely access to services, to reduce the impact of rheumatic disease-related joint damage (e.g. reduced requirement for joint replacement surgery)
By identifying and treating patients at risk for osteoporosis, to significantly reduce low-trauma fracture occurrence and consequent morbidity and mortality

To reduce overall the numbers of patients referred to rheumatology OPDs by encouraging management in primary care as appropriate
To standardise referral practices and guidelines
To reduce the waiting periods for patients referred to rheumatology OPD
To fast track early inflammatory arthritis and systemic disease
To provide access to biologic therapies to patients as indicated but in a cost-effective manner
To identify potential efficiencies and savings within the system