GP referrals

The Rheumatology department offers a comprehensive service to patients with any suspected Rheumatological problem. This may range from patients with soft-tissue rheumatism or unexplained joint or muscle pains through to patients with inflammatory arthritis such as:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Inflammatory spinal arthritis

UHB are happy to accept referrals for other conditions including connective tissue disorders such as:

• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Scleroderma
• Sjgrens syndrome
• Myositis
• Vasculitic disorders
• Gout
• Osteoporosis
• Osteoarthritis

Urgent referrals can be accepted by contact any of the Rheumatology consultants by telephone or fax. If patients are suspected of having early / new onset of inflammatory arthritis with any of the three following sysmptoms: 

• Three or more swollen joints
• Tender knuckles when squeezed
• Early morning stiffness of over 30 minutes duration

The department can also recieve referrals from choose and book, for more information see the related links box.

Routine appointments

A routine appointment can also be arranged by contacting the Rheumatology Consultants. When patients are offered an appointment the system allows them to attend the earliest available consultant.

Urgent advice and appointments  

Please telephone or fax the department or one of the consultants directly. During office hours, consultants/specialist registrars may be contacted either through their secretaries or directly via the switchboard. You can contact the department as follows:

Telephone: 0121 371 2000

Out of office hours, standard emergency services should be used.