SUHT Journal - University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation ...

5
New early arthritis clinic
transforming lives
A new centre to diagnose and treat rheumatoid arthritis at
the earliest opportunity is transforming the lives of patients
across the region.
The early arthritis clinic at Southampton
General Hospital combines medical care
with pioneering research, ensuring access to
the latest treatments.
All patients undergo an early ultrasound
scan on their first visit to analyse joints and
discover how badly affected they are, while
an innovative computer software program
can predict how the condition is likely to
develop over a person’s lifetime.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune
disease that causes pain, stiffness and loss
of function in joints but can also attack
other parts of the body.
It affects around 1% of the adult
population – three times more women
than men – and can develop at any age,
though it is most likely to develop after the
age of 40.
“Research over the last decade shows
us that if you see people quickly, it can
make a really big difference and if you see
them late, their outlook can be extremely
poor,” said consultant rheumatologist Dr
Chris Edwards, who developed the clinic
alongside colleagues including Stephan
Gadola, professor of immunology at the
University of Southampton.
“If you treat people early, as we can
thanks to the creation of the clinic, you
actually end up with people who lead
normal lives – they have to come to hospital
every now and again and take a few tablets,
but it can genuinely transform lives.”
Pharmacy team
leads novel safety
project
The medicines information
centre at SUHT is leading a
national study to improve
understanding of drug
side effects.
Physiotherapist honoured for
“outstanding” contribution
A top physiotherapist has received one of the
profession’s highest accolades for her revolutionary work
in Southampton.
Lorraine Clapham, who established an
innovative clinic – The Face Place – at
Southampton General Hospital in 2000
for patients who suffer facial palsy
after neurosurgery, was awarded a
fellowship by the Chartered Society of
Physiotherapy (CSP).
“Lorraine’s contribution to
physiotherapy has been outstanding
and the fellowship is richly deserved,”
said Ann Green, chair of the CSP.
Lorraine, who has worked in the
NHS for more than 30 years, was
named the Department of Health’s
outstanding achiever of the year in
2003 and the CSP’s physiotherapist of
the year in 2007.
It is a new take on the Medicines and
Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s
(MHRA) yellow card scheme – where
pharmacists report adverse reactions
through a form by post or online –
and means details can now be sent
immediately via an electronic system.
The yellow card reporting system
will be incorporated into a computerised
database that is already widely used in
medicine information centres across the
UK for documenting, researching and
answering pharmaceutical enquiries.
“This is the first time in the world that
a government safety regulator’s database
has been linked to actual clinical practice
and it is hoped this will highlight a wider
range of safety issues,” said Dr Simon
Wills, head of the drug and medicines
information centre at Southampton
General Hospital.
“The integration of yellow card
reporting into a wider electronic system
will allow information to be shared more
simply and quickly with the MHRA for
effective drug safety monitoring.”
He added: “Patient safety has always
been paramount at SUHT, and in this area
the Trust is leading the whole NHS.”