<p> FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST</p><p>FOI request into service provision and access to treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis patients</p><p>Name: Sandra Greenway</p><p>Position: Information Governance Officer</p><p>Acute trust: Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust</p><p>Email: [email protected]</p><p>Please return your completed response to:</p><p>Benjamin Wheatley Insight PA 52 Grosvenor Gardens London SW1W 0AU</p><p>Email: [email protected] Tel: 020 7054 9965</p><p>Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 we request the following information: </p><p>Section 1: Clinical Homecare in the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis</p><p>1. How many patients with rheumatoid arthritis receive treatment through a clinical homecare pathway? Majority and practically all on subcutaneous preparations</p><p>2. Which treatments can patients with rheumatoid arthritis access through clinical homecare? All subcut biologics and some subcut methotrexate.</p><p>3. Please enclose the results of available patient satisfaction surveys of clinical homecare services that the trust has received from rheumatoid arthritis patients. None held</p><p>Section 2: Treatment using biologic Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (bDMARDs)</p><p>4. Please provide a breakdown of the different treatments used by the trust to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Traditional DMARDS, Biologics including all antiTNFs, Rituximab, Tocilizumab and Abatacept</p><p>1 | P a g e 5. Please provide an annual breakdown of the number of patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving each drug identified in question 4. . We don’t know exact split between these groups but have around 600 of all patients on biologics including RA, Psoraitic and ankylosing spondylytis.</p><p>Section 3: Best Practice Tariff for Early Inflammatory Arthritis </p><p>6. Is your trust implementing the best practice tariff for early inflammatory arthritis? No, but we follow the principles of early and aggressive therapy.</p><p>Section 4: Specialist rheumatology staff</p><p>7. How many consultant rheumatologists are employed by the trust? 5</p><p>8. How many consultant rheumatologists are employed by the trust per rheumatology patient? Occupied Beds of Emergency Patients with Primary Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis – 2010/11</p><p> site Occupied Bed Days Good Hope 11 Heartlands 82 Solihull 18 Grand Total 111 During 2010/11 there were 7,054 individual patients seen in Rheumatology clinics, generating a total of 16,627 attendances</p><p>9. How many specialist rheumatology nurses are employed by the trust? 5</p><p>10. How many specialist rheumatology nurses are employed by the trust per rheumatology patient?</p><p>Occupied Beds of Emergency Patients with Primary Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis – 2010/11</p><p> site Occupied Bed Days Good Hope 11 Heartlands 82 Solihull 18 Grand Total 111 During 2010/11 there were 7,054 individual patients seen in Rheumatology clinics, generating a total of 16,627 attendances</p><p>11. Has the trust increased or decreased the number and capacity of specialist rheumatology staff in the years 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14? Increased the consultant number, middle grade number and specialist and biologic nurse numbers</p><p>12. How many patients with rheumatoid arthritis were proactively offered psychological support? If deemed appropriate request GP to organise.</p><p>2 | P a g e</p><p>Section 5: General</p><p>13. What is the total number of unplanned inpatient bed days, as a result of rheumatoid arthritis, in hospitals within the catchment area of the CCG? Please provide figures since 2010. </p><p>14. What is the total amount spent by the trust on rheumatoid arthritis? a. Please provide a breakdown of this expenditure £80,000 approx - Emergency Patients with Primary Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis £1.8 million approx – outpatient clinics</p><p>3 | P a g e</p>