The Rheumatology team serves Birmingham, Solihull, parts of Warwickshire and South Staffordshire. We provide Outpatients services from Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull hospitals and Inpatients and Day Unit are located at the Solihull site
We provide a fully comprehensive service for patients with various rheumatic diseases. Rheumatology has dedicated physiotherapists and occupational therapists and access to podiatry, orthotics, ultrasounds, MRI, CT, echo and so on. We work closely with other specialists for effective management of our patients.
Our nurse-led clinics include supporting and educating newly diagnosed patients; a coping clinic focusing on the psychological and social impact of arthritis; ongoing management of patients on biologic treatments; drug counselling and teaching patients how to administer sub-cutaneous medications. The department has a telephone advice service, which is primarily accessed when patients encounter problems with their medication or experience an increase in their arthritis symptoms and urgent/SOS appointments can be made when appropriate
We saw about 8,000 patients last year and the patient number is expected to increase steadily. There are close links with Birmingham University and teaching is provided for undergraduates. We also conduct certain amount of research in collaboration with other centres. The department does DEXA scanning and provides an osteoporosis service. We also provide a hot-joint service for acute hot-joints. We currently have more than 650 patients using biologics and also provide drug monitoring service for the DMARDs. Combined clinics are run with the Orthopaedic directorate.
Although all consultants see patients with all rheumatic diseases each have special interests so can offer greater expertise to individual patients.
Services Available
Inpatients Rheumatology inpatient beds are located in Solihull Hospital. Since most rheumatology care is provided from Outpatients and Day Units, admissions are only for seriously ill patients. Outpatients Outpatient services are located at Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull. Some of the nurse led clinics are also run from the Outpatients. Day Unit The Day Unit is due to be expanded to accommodate ever increasing patient numbers. All the infusions and the biologics are provided from the Day Unit, as are the majority of urgent patients and second line drug monitoring. It also includes the occupational therapy services, physiotherapy and 24 hour help line. Bone Densitometry Service We have a state of the art DEXA scanner which has facility to do lateral spinal forearm and total body scan in addition to the standard spine and dual hip.
Contact Details
- Operation manager, David Willis – 0121 4245249
- Directorate Support Manager, Melanie White – 01214245249
- Matron, Louise Everett – 0121 424 5249
Consultants
- Clinical Director, Dr Arvind Sinha – 0121 424 5317
- Consultant, Dr RG Palmer – 0121 424 5562
- Consultant, Dr A Sinha – 0121 424 5317
- Consultant, Dr A Faizal – 0121 424 5541
- Consultant, Dr S Khan – 0121 424 9007
- Consultant Dr K Jayakumar – 0121 424 5495
Shared Care Protocols (Second line monitoring guidelines)
- Azathioprine
- Cyclosporin
- Hydroxychloroquine
- Leflunomide
- Methotrexate
- Sulphasalazine
- DEXA Scan request form
Useful Links
- www.rheumatology.org.uk
- www.arma.uk.net
- www.nos.org.uk
- www.arthritiscare.org.uk
- www.arthritisresearchuk.org
- www.nras.org.uk (National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society)
Birmingham Arthritis Resource Centre
Provides information and on-going support to anyone affected by arthritis. By educating people about their arthritis we aim to improve pain management and greater long term independence.
