Under the Freedom of Information Act, We Write to Request the Following Information
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST
FOI request into service provision and access to treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis patients
Name: Sandra Greenway
Position: Information Governance Officer
Acute trust: Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust
Email:
Please return your completed response to:
Benjamin Wheatley
Insight PA
52 Grosvenor Gardens
London
SW1W 0AU
Email:
Tel: 020 7054 9965
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 we request the following information:
Section 1: Clinical Homecare in the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis
1. How many patients with rheumatoid arthritis receive treatment through a clinical homecare pathway? Majority and practically all on subcutaneous preparations
2. Which treatments can patients with rheumatoid arthritis access through clinical homecare? All subcut biologics and some subcut methotrexate.
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
Section 2: Treatment using biologic Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (bDMARDs)
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
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.
Section 3: Best Practice Tariff for Early Inflammatory Arthritis
6. Is your trust implementing the best practice tariff for early inflammatory arthritis? No, but we follow the principles of early and aggressive therapy.
Section 4: Specialist rheumatology staff
7. How many consultant rheumatologists are employed by the trust? 5
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
site / Occupied Bed DaysGood 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
9. How many specialist rheumatology nurses are employed by the trust? 5
10. How many specialist rheumatology nurses are employed by the trust per rheumatology patient?
Occupied Beds of Emergency Patients with Primary Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis – 2010/11
site / Occupied Bed DaysGood 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
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
12. How many patients with rheumatoid arthritis were proactively offered psychological support? If deemed appropriate request GP to organise.
Section 5: General
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.
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
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