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Rheumatology Department Support for Patients on Routine Waiting List

2nd June 2021

Rheumatology at Belfast Trust

Our rheumatology service provides diagnosis and management of conditions of the joints, muscles, bones and tendons. You can find out more about the Rheumatology Department by watching the video below.

Unfortunately, a lot of patients are facing extensive waiting times for a first appointment within our rheumatology service. The additional need to prioritise care to the most ill patients during the Covid-19 pandemic has also had a significant impact on our resources.

We recognised that there was a need to take action to help you manage your symptoms whilst you are waiting to be seen. We have subsequently been working closely with Versus Arthritis to ensure that you are signposted to resources in the community which can help you manage your symptoms.

In order to try and offer you some support we have produced a series of short information videos which introduce the multi-disciplinary team and offer some initial self-management advice.

We will also be hosting monthly information events, in partnership with Versus Arthritis, which will be virtual in the first instance and then face to face when restrictions ease.
We would like to encourage you to sign up for one of our information events to find out more about support available to you. You can contact us by telephone on 028 9615 0060.

We would also encourage you to contact Versus Arthritis directly to find out more about other self-management support they offer. You can contact the charity at niservicesteam@versusarthritis.org or by telephone on 028 9078 2940.