Based on year 8 data in England and Wales, plus Jersey in 2025, this report highlights that earlier assessment and treatment continue to be associated with better patient outcomes. Patients who start disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment at their first rheumatology appointment are significantly more likely to achieve early clinical remission, while patients presenting with higher disease activity are substantially less likely to respond to treatment.
Audit data…enables teams to evaluate the impact of service changes rapidly and sustain momentum for improvement
The report also shows that dedicated early inflammatory arthritis pathways are associated with faster access to care, and that achieving clinical remission is linked to improved employment outcomes.
Despite examples of outstanding practice, considerable variation persists between providers, highlighting opportunities to improve referral pathways, expand early inflammatory arthritis services, strengthen multidisciplinary support, and improve use of patient-reported outcome measures.
An important recommendation from this report highlights that there is a clear link between higher disease activity at diagnosis and a reduced likelihood of achieving early clinical remission. National guidance should be strengthened to emphasise the importance of early treatment escalation for patients with poor prognostic factors.
