| answer text |
<p>Quality standards (QS) are important in setting out to patients, the public, commissioners
and providers what a high quality service should look like in a particular area of
care. Whilst providers and commissioners must have regard to the National Institute
for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) QS in planning and delivering services, they
do not provide a comprehensive service specification and are not mandatory.</p><p>
</p><p>The first annual report of the national clinical audit of rheumatoid and early
inflammatory arthritis, commissioned on behalf of NHS England by the Healthcare Quality
Improvement Partnership (HQIP), was published on 22 January 2016. This report, which
includes data from 1 February 2014 to 30 April 2015, assesses the quality of care
by specialist rheumatology services using criteria derived from sources, including
the rheumatoid arthritis quality standard, published by the NICE in June 2013. The
report identifies that although most services offer prompt educational support and
agree targets for treatment with their patients, performance against criteria for
referral and assessment could be improved. Since the audit, HQIP has reported that
a number of trusts have successfully reconfigured their services in order to improve
patient care.</p><p> </p><p>More information can be found at the following link:</p><p>
</p><p><a href="http://www.hqip.org.uk/national-programmes/a-z-of-nca/arthritis-rheumatoid-and-early-inflammatory"
target="_blank">www.hqip.org.uk/national-programmes/a-z-of-nca/arthritis-rheumatoid-and-early-inflammatory</a></p>
|
|
