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 an eagerly-anticipated Connect Health Change webinar, titled: ‘Community rheumatology services – now essential for 2022/23’.
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 20 July 2022, 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/
