Community rheumatology services – now essential for 2022/23

Join our panel of clinical and industry experts in conversation, on Wednesday 20 July 2022 from 12:30 – 13.45, as part of our series of free, live webinars.

Connect Health “Change” has developed a series of webinars to make and embed transformation in healthcare. Aimed at system leaders and clinicians across the NHS, the webinars provide practical solutions to the challenging issues we are all grappling with.

See the other events in our webinar series

Rheumatology departments in secondary care are under pressure and frequently not meeting quality standards due to increasing referrals and a shortage of consultant rheumatologists and supporting professionals in hospital services. This is evidenced for example, in the national early inflammatory Arthritis Audit where 52% of patients don’t have an annual review and assessment of Early Arthritis targets are often missed.

Rheumatology services continue to be inundated with non-inflammatory patients who should be managing non-inflammatory Community MSK services leaving rheumatology expertise to assess and initiate treatment in Early Inflammatory clinics. Reviews of stable patients with inflammatory arthritis can be well managed in community settings but many still attend the hospital. Recently to add to the debate, the British Society for Rheumatology referral guidance Oct 21 has made clear suggestions of clinical scenarios where patients should not be referred to Tier-3 specialist (hospital-based) services, including uncomplicated gout, polymyalgia rheumatica and fibromyalgia.

In this webinar we will debate how troubled NHS Rheumatology pathways could be improved through development or expansion of community-based rheumatology services thus reducing the burden for hospitals and improving patient care where EIA and other targets are met – clearly beneficial to patient care. How far can community delivery go? Is there a line that shouldn’t be crossed that would affect patient safety?

This webinar will aim to cover:

How can the new BSR guidance be applied in the NHS?
Is community based rheumatology the biggest win for increasing secondary care capacity for people with early inflammatory arthritis?
How can community and hospital care work together to manage inflammatory joint disease – one integrated service or two?
Where does Primary Care sit in this …… overstretched already – is a community service the answer or should GPs absorb the workload?
Rheumatology through the lens of the consultant rheumatologist, community services, primary care and critically patients

Agenda

(subject to change)

12.30: Dr Benjamin Ellis, Head of Specialty, Rheumatology at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Senior Clinical Policy Advisor, Versus Arthritis – Introduction from the chair

12.40: Dr Elizabeth MacPhie, Consultant Rheumatologist & Clinical Lead for Central Lancashire Moving Well, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust. Former Chair of Clinical Affairs Committee at the British Society for Rheumatology – the challenges for Rheumatology in the UK and why the new BSR referral guidance was developed

12.50: Michael Dare, Rheumatology APP Essex and Kent Community Rheumatology services and National Rheumatology Lead for Connect Health – working together with secondary care to manage inflammatory joint disease in the community

13.00: Prof Bhaskar Dasgupta, Rheumatology Lead Consultant, Connect Health – moving Rheumatology services to the community – Polymyalgia Rheumatica as an example

13.10: Dr Lesley Perkins, Joint MSK Lead for Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets and Newham – is there capacity to absorb extra work suggested by the BSR guidance. Do PCNs allow a new approach to such service delivery or is a CCG commissioned Community Rheumatology service essential?

13.20: Tim Atkinson, Surviving pain advocate – Rheumatology, a patient perspective

13.30: Q&A with panel

13.45: End

Read more about transformation at Connect Health:

Community rheumatology services – now essential for 2022/23

20 July 2022