Background A 2011 audit of paediatric rheumatology services against the ARMA/BSPAR standards of care found only 3/21 standards were consistently met (>85%) in the East of England (EoE), compared with 17/21 met by Grid training centres that year. An EoE Paediatric Rheumatology Forum was subsequently established. We investigate whether service provision has improved.

Aims – assess JIA service provision in the EoE in 2016

– compare results with 2011 data on EoE and Grid training centres.

Methods A questionnaire based on ARMA/BSPAR SoC for JIA was sent to paediatric rheumatology leads in 17 EoE hospitals; data on consultant provision were also collated.

Results In 2016, 11/17 (65%) EoE centres returned questionnaires, reporting 7/21 standards of care met consistently (>85%) compared with 3/21 in 2011. Table 1 shows 19 standards and percentage of audited hospitals achieving them.

Consultant care provision varied widely: in 5 hospitals children see adult rheumatologists, only 2 of whom have a paediatrician at ‘most’ clinics; in 9 hospitals children see paediatricians, often with limited rheumatology training.

Conclusions The updated cycle shows improved standards of JIA care in EoE centres since 2011. Nonetheless, inequalities remain across the region, which still falls short of grid training centre standards.

Given the 2016 response-rate, we suspect that the overall picture may be worse due to under-reporting.

Reference

1. Standards of care for children and young people with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, ARMA and BSPAR, 2010.