Written question asked by David Leslie Taylor (Labour) on Tuesday, 10 November 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 12 November 2009. It was answered by Ann Keen (Labour) on Thursday, 12 November 2009 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Rheumatology: East Midlands

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of access of rheumatoid arthritis patients to specialist multi-disciplinary teams in (a) North West Leicestershire and (b) the East Midlands;

Answer: The Department has not made any specific assessment of access to or quality of care services for people with rheumatoid arthritis.It is the responsibility of primary care trusts as commissioners of healthcare services to ensure that their populations have access to the services that they require.The Department has published a good practice commissioning pathway for inflammatory arthritis. All 18 weeks commissioning pathways provide information to illustrate what services should be commissioned and provided in different levels of care.

Secondary information