National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society to publish new Responsibility Deal

No one can have failed to notice the austerity measures being put in place across all government departments with "we're in this together" becoming the rallying cry of the coalition government. In the spirit of this, the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society are using the occasion of World Arthritis Day on the 12th October to publish their new Responsibility Deal, demonstrating that as well as rights, patients also have responsibilities, as do all those involved in the health, social care and policy making process.    

The Responsibility Deal is a series of pledges that all those with an active interest in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can sign up to - patients, carers, health care professionals and policy makers. Each pledge indicates a willingness to help NRAS work together with the rheumatology community to raise awareness of RA, improve access to services and medicines, empower people to self manage their condition more effectively and, ultimately, lead to a better quality of life for all people with the disease. The deal was developed following a consultation exercise involving nearly 700 people, asking them about their views and what they would do to make a difference.

"The Responsibility Deal is based on the principle that we all have obligations and responsibilities; and we all can play our part to help ensure that health and social care services across the UK deliver better standards of care, high quality treatment and support services so that people with RA can get the care they both need and deserve" said Ailsa Bosworth, Chief Executive of the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society.

"The Responsibility Deal puts into simple words a lot of incredibly sensible, achievable and really important principles that all those involved can sign up to and help make the system more equitable in the UK. I for one will be pledging my commitment to it" said Professor David Scott, Consultant Rheumatologist at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust and Chief Medical Advisor to NRAS.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an incurable disease affecting around 690,000 people across the UK, with a further 30,000 new cases diagnosed each year. The condition costs the NHS £560 million pounds each year in England alone but if you include social costs then this can rise to £4.8 billion and when the devolved nations are added, the figures are substantially higher.