An update on UK rheumatology consultant workforce provision: the BSR/ARC Workforce Register 2005–07: assessing the impact of recent changes in NHS provision

OBJECTIVES To describe changes in the provision of rheumatology services, monitor the pattern of inequalities in UK rheumatology service provision since 2005, and to summarize the 3-yr impact of the new National Health Service (NHS) consultant contract and the Musculoskeletal Services Framework in England and Wales. METHODS Questionnaires about timetable and working conditions were sent to all consultants on the BSR/ARC UK Workforce Register in January 2007, along with the personal and job-related details currently held about them on the register to update. The questionnaire included a visual analogue scale asking 'how concerned are you that your current post might be under threat' ranging from 0 'Not at all' to 100 'Extremely'. RESULTS The response rate of the 2005 and 2007 surveys were 89 and 87%, respectively. Levels of optimal provision now exceed 70% in England and Wales, and 50% in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Levels of provision remain substantially higher in London than anywhere else. The median level of perceived job threat in the UK was 31 (interquartile range 11-61). Consultants in areas where provision is highest and a higher proportion of services are run in conjunction with Clinical Assessment and Treatment (CAT) centres report higher perceived job threat. CONCLUSIONS Provision of rheumatology services has continued to expand over the past decade; however, inequalities persist at national and sub-national level. There is evidence of improvement in regions with the lowest provision, but there are indications of increased perceived job threat in areas with traditionally higher provision and where CAT centres have been introduced.