For health professionals

Rheumatology advice

New / existing patients

Submit your enquiry to the Advice and Guidance service on ERS:

General-Rheumatology-Nuffield Orth-OUH-AnG-RTH03

Please submit your query for the following.

• Flare management for persistent symptoms
• Medication
• Vaccination
• Blood monitoring
• General

Urgent queries

For suspected:

• Vasculitis
• Giant Cell Arteritis
• Connective Tissue Disease

contact the on-call team via Switchboard: 0300 304 7777

Inflammatory arthritis

• Flare management - see treatment algorithm
  
• Persistent symptoms despite standard flare management - contact advice line

General queries

• Medication
• Blood monitoring
• Vaccination

Submit your enquiry to the Advice and Guidance service on ERS:

General-Rheumatology-Nuffield Orth-OUH-AnG-RTH03

Urgent queries

Contact the on-call team via Switchboard: 0300 304 7777

• GCA - new referrals / flares
• Urgent new referrals
• Complex patients especially CTD / Vasculitis

Flare management (GPs)

Inflammatory arthritis flare management

Is this a flare? Consider:

• symptoms / signs convincing for inflammatory arthritis
• co-morbidities e.g. fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, mechanical pain
• alternative diagnoses e.g. infection.

Suspected flare

Advise rest, application of ice / heat, increase analgesia +/- NSAIDs

No improvement after seven days consider:

• Intramuscular steroid
• Contacting the advice line