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Clinical Services

The Centre for Rheumatology @St George’s provides secondary and tertiary referral care for local, regional and national patients in an outpatient and inpatient setting. We see patients with a wide range of general and specialised Rheumatology conditions. We are a recognised provider of NHS England specialised services for adult Rheumatology including SLE, Vasculitis and metabolic bone diseases including Hypophosphatasia. We provide special tests including Nailfold Capillaroscopy for Connective Tissue Diseases. We run several other special interest clinics.

  • Ankylosing Spondylitis (Dr Sandhu)
  • Haemochromatosis arthritis (Dr Kiely)
  • Myositis (Dr Kiely)
  • Osteoarthritis – Hand (Prof Sofat)
  • Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease (Dr Moss and Dr Robinson)
  • Psoriatic arthritis (Dr Chaabo, Ezeonyeji)
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis optimisation (Dr Kiely)
  • Connective Tissue Disease, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Dr Kaul)

Subspecialist combined clinics and meetings are provided in the Rheumatology department in association with Consultants from other specialities

  • Respiratory Medicine (Interstitial Lung Disease)
  • Paediatrics Bone Disease
  • Dermatology (Connective Tissue Diseases)
  • Renal Medicine (Connective Tissue Disease)
  • Obstetrics and Maternal Medicine (Connective Tissue Diseases)
  • Radiology Meeting (X-ray, MRI, CT, PET scans reviewed with Radiologists)
  • Histopathology Meetings (with Pathologists)
  • Aortitis Meeting (with Radiologists and Vascular Surgeons)
  • Senior Medicine/Renal Osteoporosis MDT meeting

The department has a regional osteoporosis unit led by Dr Katie Moss, supported by Dr Helena Robinson, a specialist nurse (Mrs. Wei Zhang) and three technicians. It has two Hologic bone density scanners for diagnosing osteoporosis. There is a Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) which aims to identify patients who are at risk of fracture and provides osteoporosis screening, advice and treatment. This links in to the Senior Medicine department and the Wandsworth falls and bone health physiotherapy service.

Education and Training

The Rheumatology Department runs several education programmes for patients and doctors.

Bimonthly Lupus Patient Education meetings in association with Lupus UK, the largest UK lupus charity, with invited speakers and an open forum where patients are encouraged to ask questions about their lupus.

Healthy Bones monthly information talk for people with osteoporosis. Hotung Centre Seminar room

We have specialist trainees from the London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex Rheumatology Training Programmes. They are placed at St. George’s and receive high quality Rheumatology and Acute Medicine training to prepare them for their Consultant careers.

We have close links with St. George’s University of London Medical School which trains the doctors of the future. Medical Student teaching in clinics is augmented with weekly teaching where patients with clinical signs give their time to help educate these students.

Research Programmes

Our research programmes ensure The Centre For Rheumatology@St.George’s is a leader in future innovations and developments which improve patient care.

Many patients choose to be involved in these exciting projects because they provide an opportunity to try new therapies and extend our knowledge about the mechanisms underlying the conditions which patients have. These are listed by the condition being studied.

Osteoarthritis

DUPRO: We completed the first trial of centrally-acting analgesics for hand osteoarthritis: duloxetine or pregabalin

PAPO: Pain Perception in Osteoarthritis. This is an ongoing study which is measuring the features of knee pain in osteoarthritis in people who are being managed with medication, physiotherapy and joint replacement surgery

TANGO: This study tested a monoclonal antibody targeted at Nerve Growth Factor to treat pain for knee osteoarthritis

Centrexion:This new trial will be tested injections of capsaicin for knee osteoarthritis

Inflammatory Arthritis

ARPAIN: Early Biomarkers for Arthritic PAIN. We are measuring changes in blood, urine and synovial fluid after steroid injection for knee arthritis, including patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and osteoarthritis

BSRBR: The BSR Biologics Registry is an observational study collecting information on patients with inflammatory arthritis who require biologic therapies

FREE-IA: A multicentre feasibility study of the delivery of cognitive behavioural therapy by the MDT to help patients with inflammatory arthritis manage fatigue.

Giant Cell Arteritis

Giant Cell Arteritis Observational Study. This is an observational study of patients diagnosed with GCA.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

JAHZ_05: The effect of the JAK inhibitor, Baricitinib, on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

TinSLE: The prevalence and effects of Tinnitus in patients with SLE: Tinnitus is a common problem causing distress and anxiety and often affecting hearing. The study examines the effects of this condition on patients with lupus.

SPOCS: The Systemic Lupus Observational Cohort Study looking at Type 1 Interferon markers in patients with lupus

BILAGBR: The British Isles Lupus Assessment Group Biologics Registry. This is a database of patients undergoing advanced therapy for lupus allowing any trends including benefits and side effects with these therapies to be better established

Myositis

MYOPROSP: A national prospective cohort study of patients with inflammatory muscle diseases, collecting clinical, genetic and blood markers.

Hypophosphatasia Registry study: St. George’s is one of the few centres in the UK to be accredited with looking after patients with this rare condition. We register patients with this diagnosis so that treatment and progress can be tracked to ensure they and future patients benefit from advances in knowledge about the condition.

If you are interested in being involved as a volunteer or patient in any studies, please contact Abiola Harrison on 020 8266 6474.

Location and Facilities

The Department is based in three clinical locations

St George’s Hospital

Clinic C, Ground Floor, Lanesborough. This provides spacious clinic rooms and an infusion suite for patients receiving intravenous therapies including biologics for inflammatory arthritis and Zoledronate for osteoporosis.

The Sir Joseph Hotung Centre. This is housed in a striking pyramid-shaped building to the right of the hospital’s main entrance. It was set up through collaboration between St George’s Hospital and St George’s, University of London and funded through a charitable appeal and by a benefactor, Sir Joseph Hotung. The Centre provides facility for research into muscular-skeletal disorders, special interest clinics, education and national and international meetings.

Community Clinics

The Department believes strongly that patients should have the choice of treatment more locally and provides general Rheumatology and Osteoporosis clinics in a community setting where GP’s, ancillary health care staff including physiotherapists provide care with Consultant staff closer to patient’s Clinics are provided from two modern facilities.

  • The Nelson Health Centre in West.
  • St Johns Health Centre in Battersea.

Contact details

Tel: 0208 725 1255

Rheumatology appointments desk: 0208 725 1643

Secretaries

Desrene Samuel (Dr Kiely and Dr Ezeonyeji) – 0208 725 2109
Robbie Ramsden (Dr Moss and Prof. Sofat) – 0208 725 1419
Conchita Thompson (Dr Kaul, Dr Ahmed and Dr Jones) – 0208 725 3596
Marie Kune (Dr Sandhu and Dr Chaabo) – 0208 725 1418
Diane Hill (Biologics co-ordinator) – 0208 266 6801