15 June 2021


Our National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit (NEIAA) patient panel, alongside National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) and National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society (NASS), have worked together to produce a framework for a COVID-19-friendly service.


This document considers a patient’s perspective on several aspects of an ideal appointment, including pre-appointment preparation, the waiting area, face-to-face consultations, physical examination, establishing a forward plan, post consultation, annual holistic reviews, and virtual appointments.


The panel says: "As a patient panel we are delighted to have produced this framework and for the opportunity to set out how we see the 'ideal service' based on our experiences and our expectations. We recognise the great work already being done by rheumatologists and their teams across the UK and we hope that this framework is a useful tool in helping to shape the future delivery of rheumatology services to the benefit of all.


"We understand that COVID-19 has significantly affected rheumatology teams but hope that this information will prove useful, as services start to consider the new ways of working."


Read the framework