The team at the Centre for Rheumatic Diseases, based in Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary, has been recognised with a national best practice standard for patient care after the team pulled out all the stops during the pandemic to continue with the very best in treatment for those faced with muscle and joint pain.
The British Society for Rheumatology external accreditation said the service is ‘robust and continued to practice during COVID-19, overcoming significant barriers’ with patient feedback reporting the service in Glasgow was ‘head and shoulders above’ other hospitals they had encountered.
Dr Rajan Madhok, who lead on the accreditation process said: “It gives me an immense sense of professional and personal satisfaction to be part of a team that delivers care acknowledged by an independent group of specialists to be one of the best nationally.”
Rheumatology is the catch-all for musculoskeletal pain, which includes pain in the joints or the muscles, or helping those whose immune systems start working against them, attacking their joints. Some of the conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, can be incredibly debilitating. Over 430,000 people in the UK have rheumatoid arthritis.
“It can significantly affect an individual’s quality of life, not only in terms of pain, but it may stop them from working or doing day to day activities, that can impact on entire families,” Dr Rajan added.
The team use a mixture of therapies including medication, pain management and physiotherapy to help patients to manage their symptoms. The team has a day ward at the GRI, led by specialist nurses who help to assess and look after patients, helping them to reduce the number of hospital admissions and GP visits. It also provides a base for more holistic treatments and a place where patients feel more comfortable.
Dr Rajan added: “A lot of the credit is due to our nursing and physiotherapy staff. We recognised the importance of what our nurses, physiotherapists and allied health professionals can do, we have a highly skilled and dedicated team who help us provide the best care for of our patients.”
Dr Rajan said that during the pandemic, the nursing team, in particular, ‘pulled out all the stops’ to continue patient care, setting up many resources to help patients and reduce the impact on GPs and other acute services. They also put in place virtual exercise classes to help move muscles and joints. These improvements in patient care will continue long after the pandemic ends.
Dr Elizabeth Price, clinical lead and lead assessor at the British Society for Rheumatology, said: ”It was a real pleasure to be involved in assessing the Rheumatology service at Glasgow Royal Infirmary. The team work cohesively, each playing to their strengths and clearly all have a passion for their work. We were impressed at how they had adapted to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and managed to maintain a high quality patient experience.”
Dr Rajan said the accreditation endorses our approach is working, and the team will be implementing the improvements suggested.
He added: “We see patients as our partners in improving their health –a good day for me is when we can engage with a patient, make sure that they have received the highest standard of care available and enable them to address their health problems. The high levels of deprivation especially in east Glasgow can be challenging and we try to appreciate what it’s like to be in their shoes.
“It is up to me to make sure we deliver the best care that we can.”
