Current policy statements
If you have any lobbying or campaigning issues to bring to BSR’s attention please contact
Katy Lewis or
Rachel Evans.
Health and Social Care Bill
A briefing from the Coalition of UK Medical Specialty Societies
This briefing has been sent to all members of the House of Lords as they start to debate the Health and Social Bill. The briefing, which was coordinated by the BSR, has been agreed by all members of the Coalition of UK Medical Specialty Societies. We hope that our collective voice will have a greater impact than us all briefing peers as individual societies and enable peers to understand the concerns we have about the Bill and the changes it proposes.
View >> Joint Briefing Document
Further information contact:
Debbie Smith
dsmith@rheumatology.org.uk
020 7842 0900
NHS White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS
BSR's response
View
BSR's key messages for members
View
BSR's comments on the NHS White Paper
View the response to the NHS White Paper Consultation:
Liberating the NHS: Legislative framework and next steps
Rheumatoid Arthritis Care
Perceptions of Patients and Professionals
Rheumatology Futures report
The Rheumatology Futures Forum released its report on Perceptions of Patients and Professionals on Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Care. It clearly sets out the variability of care and the challenges that we face to ensure that services for people with rheumatoid arthritis are improved and that patients get appropriate and timely treatment.
The Rheumatology Futures Group is a consortium of the main patient, professional and pharmaceutical organisations including the BSR, BHPR and ARMA, involved in RA care.
View report >> Perceptions of Patients and Professionals on RA care
View supporting evidence >> Findings of patient focus groups and professional interviews
NAO report: Services for people with rheumatoid arthritis
BSR Statement
"We welcome this report. It demonstrates the gap between the recommendations in the NICE Rheumatoid Arthritis Management Guidelines, and what is actually delivered in the NHS. Consequently, it sets a challenge to both Government and clinicians alike.
"For Government the message is that patients are missing out on vital treatments & services, and it is time to invest in inflammatory arthritis services. It demonstrates that if rheumatoid arthritis is not seen by specialists promptly and treated intensively, it will end up costing both individual patients and the country much more in the long run.
"Therefore, rheumatoid arthritis services must now have the highest priority. For clinicians the message is that we must ensure that we are providing the best quality care for our rheumatoid arthritis patients.
"This is a great opportunity for the Government and the musculoskeletal community to work together for the benefit of rheumatoid arthritis patients."
Dr Deborah Bax
BSR President
View >> National Audit Office report: Services for People with Rheumatoid Arthritis
For further details contact:
Debbie Smith
dsmith@rheumatology.org.uk
020 7842 0900
Current campaigns
View an update on our current NICE activities
Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF)
The quality and outcomes framework (QOF) is a programme of incentives offered annually to GP surgeries in the UK. Rewards are given for, among other things, how well they manage some of the most common chronic diseases, and how well they improve the health of the populations they serve.
A key intention of the QOF is to identify ways of reducing preventable morbidity and cost. The absence of any musculoskeletal conditions from the present QOF must be a major concern to government given the substantial impact these conditions have on disability and reduced quality of life.
For our past policy activities visit our
policy archive and our past
press releases