Over 2,500 patients seen at new Pennine Rheumatology Centre in first six months

Rochdale Infirmary’s new Pennine Rheumatology Centre has exceeded expectations and treated over 2,500 patients since it opened six months ago

Rochdale Infirmary’s new Pennine Rheumatology Centre (PRC) has exceeded expectations and treated over 2,500 patients since it opened six months ago.

The specialist centre at Rochdale Infirmary opened on 2 April 2012 and treats patients from Rochdale, Bury, Oldham, Heywood, Middleton, North Manchester, Bolton and Rossendale.

Figures recorded by The Pennine Acute Hospital NHS Trust, which runs the facility, show that from April to August 2012 1001 patients were seen and treated as ward patients (attenders) and 1408 were seen as day cases.

The centre is open Monday to Thursday from 8am to 8pm, and on Fridays from 8am to 4pm. It provides specialist enhanced outpatient and day case services for people with a range of rheumatologic conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, lupus and other connective tissue diseases.

The centre offers complex infusion treatments (where medication is administrated through the bloodstream) and techniques such as ultrasound, biologic infusions (biologic drugs copy the effects of substances naturally made by the body's immune system) and joint injections.

The PRC enables people who are struggling with their arthritis to receive care from a multidisciplinary team, including consultants, specialist nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and podiatrists all at one location and in the shortest possible time. Previously patients would have their appointments with different healthcare professionals spread over a number of weeks.

Rheumatoid arthritis affects 60,000 people in the UK, most of working age and is three times as common in women as men. There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, but modern treatment can keep people well and greatly reduce damage to joints.

Josie Fletcher, unit manager at Rochdale Infirmary, said: “We are busy in the Pennine Rheumatology Centre and our specialist nurses see around 12 patients a day.

"The ethos of the unit is all about patient education and empowerment to manage their condition in the best way possible.

"Rheumatology conditions can cause long term illness and can have both a physical and psychological effect on the patient and so our new way of working allows us to focus intensively on those patients who are experiencing a flare up in their condition and treat it as quickly.

“We have had lots of positive comments on the unit from our patients as they have welcomed the more streamlined approach to their treatment.

"The team on the unit are working well together as we are all motivated to continue to develop the multi-disciplinary service for the benefit of our patients.”