Meet the team
Our team and people involved in your care:
Admin and Clerical Team
You will be greeted on arrival at the department by a friendly
receptionist who will register your attendance, confirm your
contact details are correct and will advise you of any delay in
clinic.
You may prefer to self-register your arrival using the patient
friendly self service kiosk.
When you are invited to make an appointment you will generally
be assisted by our friendly team of call handlers at the
appointment call centre. The Rheumatology has two dedicated
clinic coordinators who you may speak to from time to time who
ensure the smooth running of the booking process.
Consultants, Clinical Fellows and Registrars
Our Consultants, Clinical fellows and Registrar Rheumatologists
are doctors who specialise in diagnosing and treating arthritis and
related conditions. Your rheumatologist may arrange for you to have
tests to find out more about your condition. These may include
blood tests and x-rays. Your rheumatologist will recommend
treatment programmes. This may include drug treatments, physical
therapies and advise on self-management.
Dr Bash Boyce
Dr Emma
Davies
Dr
Robert Marshall
Dr
Elizabeth Perry - Clinical Lead
Dr
Elizabeth Reilly
Dr Joanna
Robson
Dr Matthew
Roy
Dr Imran Shahriar
Management
The Rheumatology Department is part of the larger Division of
Medicine. We have a dedicated specialty manager who is supported by
an admin team.
Nursing Team
- Clinical nurse specialists (CNS)
Specialist nurses are nurses who have been educated to degree
level or above and who hold specialist knowledge, skills,
competencies and experience.
Nurse specialists run their own clinics and practising at an
advanced level assess disease activity and patient treatments as
well as providing education and support for patients with
rheumatological conditions. The Specialist nurses also manage a
nurse led telephone help line for patients.
Our matron is Nicky Brooks who leads nursing outpatient services
across a number of specialist teams.
We have 2 sisters Denise Pope and Claire Rowsell who are
responsible for the day to day clinical management of the
department who lead a team of registered nurses, nursing assistants
and technicians. They work to ensure that high standards of care
and patient safety are maintained.
We have an experienced team of registered nurses who will carry
out assessments and deliver treatments in accordance treatment
plans. They manage the infusions that are booked into our day case
area and care for patients throughout their day case
treatments.
- Health Care Support Workers (HCSW)
We have a dedicated team of HCSWs who work with the registered
nurse and medical teams to support our patients through their
appointments. They are the face of the department and will often be
the first people you meet and will help guide you through the
clinic process. They will perform assessments required prior to
your appointment and any blood tests following your
appointment.
Occupational Therapist
Occupational therapy provides patients with the skills to help
manage their condition effectively and maintain or regain
independent living. They provide advice and splints for the
protection of arthritic joints and advise on a variety of equipment
to help maintain independence. Occupational therapists also
have skills in counselling and adaptation to illness.
Osteoporosis services: DXA Technician
Osteoporosis literally means 'porous bones'. Patients are
usually unaware they have osteoporosis until they break a bone. DXA
or Duel Energy X-ray Absorptiometry is used to measure the density
of bone. Measurements are usually taken of the lower back and hip,
and patients provide information about other risk factors for
osteoporosis (e.g. family history and other broken bones).
The scan is performed by a trained technician and takes about 15
minutes to complete. The results are used to assist in
interventions to improve bone health and reduce risk of
fracture.
Podiatrist
Podiatry can assess you for orthotics which are inserts for your
shoes that can help with mobility. Our Specialist Podiatrist
provides a specialist role in the assessment, diagnosis and
treatment of foot problems.
Pharmacy
Juggling new medication with the new diagnosis can be difficult.
Your local pharmacy can help you work out your medications, when to
take them and how to take them.
Physiotherapist
Physiotherapists are specialists of movement. The treatment
provided very much depends on the patients' specific physical
difficulties and goals. It may include 1:1 treatment, hydrotherapy,
groups for education and exercise, for example we run an
osteoarthritis knee group and an osteoporosis exercise group.
We aim to help manage pain, and improve physical function, balance
and muscle strength.
Research Team
Research projects vary from research into patients' attitudes to
their disease; testing new models of care; developing measurement
scales; and drug trials. Researchers work to high standards
of research governance, to ensure the safety of patients in the
study, to ensure they give voluntary informed consent, and to
ensure the integrity of their data. Many of the clinical staff
collaborate in our research, or even conduct their own
studies. The team produces many papers and conference
presentations, and the unit has a high Allied Health Professionals
research profile nationally and internationally. For
further information please click here
Transition Team
The adult Rheumatology team run a transition service for young
adults moving from paediatric rheumatology care in to the adult
Service. The consultants involved in this are Dr Matt Roy, Dr
Jo Robson, along with Tracy French the Clinical Nurse Specialist.
There is a specific website for this transition process, which you
can check out by following this link:
/transition/rheumatology
Transferring care to the adult service can sometimes feel a
little daunting, so we aim to make this as smooth as
possible. The adult team join the consultations in the
Children's Hospital when young adults are coming up to the time
they will be moving into the adult Service. This means they can
meet us before their first consultation, we can also walk them over
to B504 so they can have a look around the department prior to
their first visit. We also have members of the paediatric
team joining our clinics so there is a familiar face for the first
consultation. This is usually Laura Everson who is a Clinical
Nurse Specialist in the Paediatric Rheumatology
team.
