Expert webinar on community rheumatology

Webinar on community rheumatology: Spotlight on community rheumatology: experts debate the urgent need for reform in the UK.

Under pressure rheumatology departments, a shortage of staff and the role community  services can play in leading initial assessments and early treatment, will all be debated in the eagerly-anticipated ‘Community rheumatology services – now essential for 2022/23’ Connect Health Change webinar on July 20^th.

More than 150 people including NHS leaders, clinicians and policymakers have already signed up to the virtual event which includes talks from rheumatology experts. Topics will explore a patient’s perspective on surviving pain, the current challenges faced within rheumatology in the UK and whether PCNs allow a new approach to service delivery or if a CCG commissioned community rheumatology service is essential.

Dr Benjamin Ellis from Imperial College NHS Trust and Versus Arthritis will chair the session and welcome guests Dr Elizabeth MacPhie from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, Dr Lesley Perkins, Joint MSK Lead for Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets and Newham and Tim Atkinson, who lives with chronic pain.

Michael Dare and Professor Bhaskar Dasgupta, both from Connect Health, will explore ‘working together with secondary care to manage inflammatory joint disease in the community’ and ‘moving rheumatology services to the community – Polymyalgia Rheumatica as an example’, respectively.

‘Community rheumatology services – now essential for 2022/23’ will be held on Wednesday July 20^th, 12:30 – 1:45pm. To find out more about the event, see the full itinerary and sign up, visit https://www.connecthealth.co.uk/events/community-rheumatology-services-now-essential-for-2022-23/

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