About the service
The Rheumatology team in Gateshead cares for a wide range of patients with problems affecting bones, joints and surrounding tissues.
These conditions include various forms of inflammatory arthritis, connective tissue disease / vasculitis (disorders where the immune system attacks internal organs) and auto-immune disease (certain disorders of the immune system). All of these conditions can cause disability and sometimes can be life-threatening if left untreated.
Services we offer
The services we are able to offer are:
- Screening for inflammatory arthritis (including rheumatoid arthritis, Ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis) and providing long term care for patients with these conditions
- Screening for all types of connective tissue disease and vasculitis as well as longer term care and support
- Diagnosis and management of carpal tunnel syndrome and ulnar neuropathy (nerve entrapment syndromes which can cause painful tingling and numbness in the hand and forearm)
- Drug safety monitoring
- An acute hot joint service which aims to diagnose and manage any patients developing sudden onset of a painful swollen hot joint
- Open access service for the diagnosis and management of bone diseases such as osteoporosis (thinning of the bones) and Pagets disease (a disorder of bone manufacture), supported by a dedicated day unit
- The assessment of back and neck pain and the planning of appropriate management
- The management of systemic disease complicating established rheumatic disorders (internal organ involvement such as the heart and lung)
The department is recognised nationally and has received a number of awards both for the quality of its service and innovations introduced in patient management for example for reductions in death rate from complications of arthritis and its treatment.
We work well with your GP and others to make sure you are seen by the right person at the right time. Our patients tell us that they really value this aspect of the service we provide.
In addition to our clinical service, we offer under and post graduate education to a wide range of trainees including GP registrars. We are also heavily involved with clinical research for which we have developed strong links with the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
