December 2009 - The British Society for Rheumatology

BSR|News
The Newsletter of the British Society for Rheumatology
BSR
The British Society for Rheumatology
December 2009
Changes needed for rheumatology services, says NAO report
A new report by the National Audit Office provides a
powerful lever for rheumatologists to change local
services. “Services for people with arthritis” gives a
snapshot of the current, patchy, state of rheumatology
services and clear evidence of how they should be
developed to achieve the best possible care for patients.
The report is the result of a survey of 1,400 people with RA,
nearly 500 GPs and a census of a large number of acute
trusts and PCTs. The work was carried out before the NICE
RA management guidelines were released, so will be a
useful benchmark for us to look at how services change
over the years.
A word from the President
This report provides a real
opportunity for everyone in
rheumatology. It confirms
that our concerns have a
strong basis in fact, whereas
in the past we had to rely on
anecdotal evidence. For
example, it will help us build
a case for earlier diagnosis and speedier referral, both
at a local and national level. The report is already
opening up more opportunities for BSR members to
tackle local service-related problems and push for
change. If you are not yet using it to bang on doors
locally, then now is your chance! Please do let us
know what you plan to do with it and how we at
BSR can help.
Above all, the report shows significant variation in
services for patients with RA across England, and it
behoves us, BSR, its members and partners in the
multidisciplinary team to respond to that. People will
look to us for change. We would like to hear members’
views and all your ideas for moving this forward. For
instance, would it be helpful for you to get together
with other colleagues to plan a regional strategy?
Deborah Bax, BSR President
d.e.bax@sheffield.ac.uk
➜
“NRAS are very concerned that RA services
are not matching the Government’s vision
for long term conditions to be delivered closer to home
and are not being commissioned to meet local needs.”
Ailsa Bosworth, Chief Executive and founder of NRAS
➜
“The NAO report echoes what people with
RA have been telling Arthritis Care for years -
that it takes too long to get diagnosed.”
Neil Betteridge, Chief Executive of Arthritis Care
Main findings
• Too many people with RA are not being diagnosed and treated quickly enough. The
impact of this is a deterioration in their health, which brings costs to the NHS and to the
economy as a whole. Quicker diagnosis and earlier treatment of RA would not only lead
to better outcomes for patients, but to huge productivity gains in the long term. The
report estimates that increasing the number of people treated within three months from
10 to 20 percent would have wide-reaching benefits, including generating productivity
gains for the economy of around £31 million.
• Once diagnosed, people are not always getting the services they need to support them.
Clinical monitoring is not yet routinely carried out for all people with RA, and the NHS
does not consistently provide support/information to help people with RA return to work.
More coordinated, multi-disciplinary services are needed to ensure that people with RA
have access to holistic care.
Key recommendations
• Improved public awareness and GP understanding, thereby increasing the number of
people diagnosed and treated early
• Better evidence about what services are needed and how best to provide them, with
better integration and coordination of NHS services
• Better co-ordination of holistic services for people living with RA, including help to
remain in or return to work
What you can do locally: practical ideas from BSR
This is your chance to get better services for your patients. Make sure you get a copy of
the report: www.nao.org.uk/publications/0809/services_for_people_with_rheum.aspx.
Some practical ways to use the report:
• As a powerful tool when services are
commissioned – ensure that key people
in your Trust and PCT have seen it.
• As the basis for a discussion with your
medical/clinical director – using the detailed
research it contains as evidence of what
rheumatology services should be.
• As a starting point to build up the
relationship between primary and
secondary care, for example by offering
support and advice to GP colleagues.
• As a general tool to help build
understanding of the specialty; helpful for
the commissioning processes as a whole.
More practical ideas on how you can
campaign for better resources for your
patients will be available in the BSR “Action Plan”,
expected for early 2010. In the meantime we are very keen to know what you are doing,
so please do contact Debbie Smith, Head of External Relations and Clinical Affairs, to make
suggestions or to share experiences with your colleagues (dsmith@rheumatology.org.uk).
The report is one of several key documents published lately for the specialty, others
we suggest you read include:
• NICE clinical guidelines on RA: http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG79
• Rheumatology Futures Report, from the King’s Fund:
www.kingsfund.org.uk (report available under “library”)

Society|News
BSR Biologics Register
We are entering an exciting new phase of a project which
started eight years ago.
Following the independent proposal submitted to us by
Professor Barry Bresnihan, we are now actively seeking to
establish an ankylosing spondylitis register. We recruited Lorna
Layward to help with the setting up of the project. Funds for
Lorna’s appointment (one year in the first instance) have been
raised from industry, NASS and BSR itself. She will organise the
formal advertising for a rheumatology centre to undertake the
project, a review and interview panel for applications received,
ensuring that the register is established to ask a set of scientific
questions and that it obtains the support of the local clinical
trials network. Lorna and I, together with Nia Taylor, the overall
Biologics Register manager, have already started to engage the
pharmaceutical companies to establish the level of their
interests (and we hope their support!).
We are concomitantly talking to pharmaceutical companies
whose biologic agents are now going through a rather torturous
process to gain NICE approval. NICE strongly recommends the
BSRBR model as a means of establishing long-term pharma
vigilance and it is thus very likely that we will be asked to set up
registers for these drugs as and when approval has been
obtained. Finally, we are looking for people to join the
committee so if you are interested, please do let us know
as soon as possible.
Professor David Isenberg, Chair,
BSRBR Steering Committee
➜
NICE update
BSR is involved in a number of NICE appraisals:
Certolizumab - The Appraisal Consultation Document, issued in
October, did not recommend certolizumab as a treatment option for
people with RA. BSR sent comments on the ACD on 9 November
2009, condemning this initial decision, and calling on NICE to ensure
that certolizumab was available as an important addition to the
therapeutic armoury needed to help patients with RA. The finalised
guidance is expected to be issued in February 2010.
Tocilizumab - The Appraisal Consultation Document was issued in
late September 2009. It did not recommend tocilizumab for the
treatment of moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis. BSR
commented on the ACD on 22 October 2009, again, calling on NICE
to ensure that tocilizumab was available to help patients with RA.
Depression with a chronic physical health problem -
In October NICE published clinical guidelines on the treatment and
management of depression in adults with chronic physical health
problems.
Golimumab - The three appraisals on golimumab (for the treatment
of rheumatoid arthritis after failure of previous anti-rheumatic drugs,
for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (methotrexate-naïve) and for
the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis) have all been suspended at
the request of the manufacturer, as they were not in a position to
submit evidence. We will keep you updated on any developments.
Denosumab for osteoporotic fractures - BSR has registered as a
consultee for this appraisal. The first Appraisal Committee meeting is
taking place on 27th April 2010 and the guidance is expected to be
issued, at the earliest, in September 2010.
BSR needs you!
Why should anyone do more than just their job? We all work hard and have numerous
deadlines, targets, quotas etc. But at the end of the day doctors aren’t really loners,
we work in teams. These teams may be just within one hospital. This is certainly
appropriate when first appointed as a Consultant, but at the same time we have to
keep up to date. Thus we read journals, we enjoy going to meetings, we like our work
to be published or presented. We become members of BSR to receive many benefits
including courses, annual conference and supply of the Journal.
Eventually though the job becomes a bit routine, most of your activities run smoothly
and you might have spare time. Perhaps at this point it would be worthwhile taking on
a new challenge and giving something back to the service that has nourished you.
This could be local such as working with the Deanery to help in the training of SpR’s
or with the College as a Speciality Advisor.
Alternatively you could become involved with BSR. The BSR Council is becoming
‘regionalised’ which means that each region will elect a council member to present
‘the regional view’ at Council. It also gives you the opportunity to belong to some of
the Committees such as Education and Training, Clinical Affairs, Heberden and
External Relations. Clearly becoming involved can be stimulating; it also improves
your CV and can provide ‘filling’ for those tiresome ACCEA domains!
If you are interested in becoming more involved with BSR please contact our
Chief Executive, Samantha Peters, on speters@rheumatology.org.uk.
Dr Colin Pease, Honorary Secretary, BSR
2

Society|News
www.rheumatology.org.uk
Chair of BSR Biologics
Register (BSRBR)
Steering Committee
BSR Executive in action
BSR elections 2010
The elections are being run by the Electoral Reform Services (ERS) and
nomination packs will be available from early January 2010 on request. While the
closing date for nominations is Thursday 25 March you are advised to make your
nominations by 15 March 2010 at the very latest. This will enable ERS to check
the forms and accompanying paperwork and return them to you in good time if
something is incorrect in time for the final deadline. It is the candidate’s
responsibility to ensure that the nomination form is complete and that all
required paperwork is sent to ERS before the deadline.
If more candidates are nominated than the number of vacancies the Society will hold
a ballot of ordinary members. The deadline is currently set for 14 April 2010 which will
be strictly adhered to.
Election criteria and responsibilities will be detailed on the nomination form.
Candidates must be proposed and seconded by ordinary members of the Society,
and will be asked to submit a brief statement of no more than 300 words explaining
his/her suitability as a candidate, and to complete a Declaration of Interest form.
Any correspondence regarding the nomination process should be directed to ERS.
Please contact Charlene Hannon on 020 8365 8909 or
charlene.hannon@electoralreform.co.uk. Your email subject header should read
‘BSR election nomination form request’.
Vacant posts:
• Assistant Treasurer for one year then Honorary Treasurer for three years.
Proposed by two ordinary members and seconded by two.
• Chair Elect of External Relations Committee for one year then three years as
Chair. Proposed by two ordinary members and seconded by two.
• Council members: 4 vacancies to be elected on a regional basis from
Scotland, Wales, South East Coast and the South West – for three years.
Proposed by one ordinary member and seconded by one.
Please visit www.rheumatology.org.uk for a summary of what the roles entail.
Full details will be in the nomination packs.
• Chair Elect of the Biologics Register - This appointed post follows different
procedures and will be administered by BSR.
Please direct any other queries about the nature of the posts or duties involved to
Sue Murray-Johnson at BSR on 020 7842 0900 or mhughes@rheumatology.org.uk.
Sue Murray-Johnson, Deputy Chief Executive, BSR
➜
Rheumatology call for papers
Registries in rheumatological and musculoskeletal conditions
Rheumatology plans to publish a themed issue dedicated to registries.
The aim is to collate one collective issue of reviews and to invite original
research that will add to this area of basic and clinical investigation.
Deadline for submission of manuscripts: 1 April 2010
The position of chair-elect of the BSRBR
Steering Committee is open for appointment
for 2010 and nominations are sought from
members. The post is open to ordinary members
of the Society. The position is initially for a
three-year term of office including one year as
Chair-elect. The Chair is a co-opted trustee and
attends BSR Executive meetings.
Background
The BSRBR was established in 2001. The Register,
which is based in the arc Epidemiology Unit (AEU)
at the University of Manchester, involves long term
analysis of 4,000 patients treated with each of
etanercept, infliximab and adalimumab, 1,100
patients treated with rituximab and just fewer than
4,000 controls (patients with active rheumatoid
arthritis not being treated with biologic agents).
It is likely that additional diseases and newer
biological agents will also be incorporated into
the Committee’s remit.
Purpose
The purpose of the Steering Committee is to
oversee the Register, ensuring that the agreed
objectives of patient recruitment, data capture
and analysis, and patient safety are met in a
timely manner and within budget. It reports to
the BSR Executive.
Role of Chair
The role of the Chair of the BSRBR Steering
Committee is to:
1. Chair the Register Committee four times a year
and on the one occasion when the committee
meets representatives from the pharmaceutical
companies that support the register.
2. Attend regular meetings with the pharmaceutical
company funders (up to three per year).
3. Attend any other meetings as required for the
smooth running of the committee.
4. Report annually to the BSR Executive and
provide objectives, goals and finances for the
forthcoming year for approval.
5. Liaise on a regular basis with BSR staff.
6. Review, collate, and respond on behalf of
stakeholders to abstracts, presentations and
manuscripts circulated prior to publication.
7. Participate in discussions with pharmaceutical
companies wishing to join the Register with
new biological agents.
Nomination forms will be available at
www.rheumatology.org.uk. Please feel free to email
Nia Taylor on ntaylor@rheumatology.org.uk for
further information.
Closing date is 22 nd January 2010.
3

Committee|Reports
President
2009 seems to have flown past and as this is the last newsletter of the
year, I thought it was a good opportunity to look back at 2009 and to reflect
on the many challenges and opportunities that face us in 2010.
There have been three key reports during the year that are really helping to raise
the profile of rheumatology services. The first, from the King’s Fund, was a
consultancy report for the Rheumatology Futures Group. It looked at how
patients and rheumatologists viewed the services they received or delivered.
The research found that despite the chronic and debilitating nature of the illness,
the availability and take-up of systematic guidance for professionals about the
appropriate care pathway for RA patients remains limited. Patients with RA
struggle to access care and RA is often perceived as being in the shadow of
other more common long-term conditions. In particular, the study revealed
reports of variation in the nature and quality of RA care leading to fifteen
recommendations for action across the RA ‘patient pathway’ in the three
domains of initial contact with the NHS, specialist intervention and ongoing care.
Following closely behind this was the NICE Rheumatoid Arthritis clinical guideline.
This was well received and provides an excellent blue print for the services that
we should be providing for our patients with RA. I am sure this will be a useful
tool for the rheumatology team when looking at the commissioning of services
in the future. In addition, the NICE commissioning guide on the service for the
diagnosis and management of RA in adults should be published by the end of
the year.
The National Audit Office report was a detailed look at services for people with
RA across the country. This report is a real ‘call to arms’ for every rheumatology
team – it gives details of what services should look like and will be a great tool
for us to use to get the services our patients deserve.
Dr Deborah Bax, President, BSR
Treasurer
I am pleased to report that, despite the credit
crunch, our finances are in good shape. Income from
the conference and Journal has been good and we
are on course to break even, or have a small surplus
at the end of the year. The problems with direct debit
subscriptions have been largely solved with only a few
members yet to pay. Membership numbers have not
dropped, despite the inconvenience.
The budget for 2010 has been set with a small deficit
predicted, mainly due to increased resources needed to
implement the Strategic Plan and maintain core activity.
The Finance and General Purpose Committee is in the
process of reorganisation to extend financial projections
over a three year period, to develop and modernise the
risk register and to assess the financial and resource
implications across the organisation of new initiatives
coming from the Standing Committees.
Finally we are seeking nominations for the Assistant
Honorary Treasurer to be elected at the 2010 AGM.
A great opportunity to be involved in the development of
British rheumatology, to work with colleagues from all
over the UK and with an excellent team of professionals
at the BSR office.
Dr Paul Thompson, Treasurer, BSR
This has been a year of change on many fronts. Robert Moots
started as the new editor, joined by seven new associate editors.
Rheumatology’s impact factor has increased from 4.045 to 4.136.
As of 31 October 2009, the Journal received 1,217 manuscripts,
an increase of about 12% compared to this time last year.
We have trialled the broadcasting of podcasts for the first time, publishing
two so far. Each of these has attracted 1,200 downloads per month –
far more than podcasts from other major journals published by Oxford
University Press.
Rheumatology has also undergone a major redesign of the internal
layout, which we hope is contemporary yet clear. The new design will
be launched with the print volume 49, in January 2010.
We have also been commissioning more focused and punchy editorials of
a global and topical scope. The Journal published five issues of an
excerpted English edition version for middle-eastern countries, with plans
to publish another series.
Last but not least, we have issued a call for papers for a special issue
dedicated to registries in rheumatological and musculoskeletal
conditions for print publication of January 2011. We hope that this
issue will stimulate interest from both authors and readers.
Professor Robert Moots, Editor, Rheumatology
New internal layout for Rheumatology
4

Committee|Reports
www.rheumatology.org.uk
Rheumatology 2011
will be held in Brighton
Heberden
The Heberden Committee has now finalised the programme for Rheumatology
2010, which looks very exciting. The major change to the traditional format is the
development of a three-day conference. This has meant that there is reduced
space for extra meetings that groups wish to arrange, but we hope that we have
been able to accommodate as many of you as possible. On the day before the
conference there will be three independent themed symposia for which separate
registration is necessary. Please see the website
www.rheumatology.org.uk/conference for more details.
We are also now working on 2011. As many of you will be aware EULAR is in
London in 2011 so we are planning a different style conference incorporating all
the key elements of our traditional meeting. This change of format means that
we can visit venues such as Brighton that we have not been to for many years.
There has been a strong desire for a Southern venue, but there are no venues
south of Birmingham suitable for our traditional meeting at an acceptable cost.
Dr Richard Watts, Chair, Heberden Committee
External Relations
Our major focus continues to be quality. Lord Darzi put quality at the heart of the NHS 1
and emphasised the role of Specialist Societies in developing appropriate quality
metrics 2 . Since then, a lot of heat (and rather less light) has been generated in the
area through national meetings and torrents of information which we are doing our
best to find a way through.
We are developing metrics in the three domains of quality care:
• Patient experience – we are working with Arthritis Care in this area
• Patient safety – we are looking at biologics registry data as a good start
• Clinical effectiveness – we will initially focus on the NICE guidance for RA
but this can subsequently be adapted to other diseases.
Other parallel BSR quality initiatives include national audits (SAGWG) and an
examination of peer review (Clinical Affairs) which may fit with the voluntary peer
review accreditation system proposed by Lord Darzi. All will be crucial for individual
revalidation!
ERC has also been kept busy with updating the BSR Action Plan, a review of the
results of the National Audit Commission RA survey, liaison with the Comprehensive
Clinical Research Network Musculoskeletal Specialty Group and consultations from
external bodies like NICE and the RCP.
Dr Gabrielle Kingsley, Chair, External Relations Committee
1
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_101670
2
www.ic.nhs.uk/cqi
Clinical Affairs (CAC)
As Clinical Advisor to the NICE Rheumatoid
Arthritis Management Guidelines I have given
talks around the country on the rationale behind
the recommendations.
The Kings Fund Report commissioned by the
Rheumatology Futures Group, and the National
Audit Office Report on RA, both demonstrate that
we can all do better in providing a high quality
service for RA patients. In this regard, the NICE
guidelines have been generally welcomed, with
colleagues seeing them as an opportunity to
demonstrate what a high quality service should
look like. Concern has been expressed around
implementation, particularly in the current
economic climate.
I have been working with the Department of Health
in drawing up an Inflammatory Arthritis
Commissioning Pathway (www.18weeks.nhs.uk/
Content.aspx?path=/achieve-and-sustain/Specialtyfocussed-areas/rheumatology)
and with NICE on a
Commissioning Guideline for RA to be published
later this year.
I hope these tools will help colleagues in working
with commissioners.
Dr Chris Deighton,
Chair, Clinical Affairs Committee
Education and Training
The courses offered by BSR continue to be popular.
The Committee is exploring ways of expanding these,
including introducing some web-based modules.
In addition, there will be a new annual Education Day.
Starting next year the Annual Meeting will run for only
three days. This has given us the opportunity to
introduce a preliminary day – separate from the Annual
Meeting itself – which will be devoted to updates in all
areas of rheumatology. It is planned to run a five year
cycle of such days, over the course of which the whole
field of rheumatology will be covered. The cycle will fit in
with consultant revalidation, and will also be valuable for
rheumatologists in training. The first Education Day will
be on Tuesday 20 April 2010. It will include sessions
on diagnosis, disease management, clinical decision
making and preparation for recertification.
The first opportunity for trainees to take the new
Specialist Certificate Examination (formerly Knowledge
Based Assessment) will be in mid 2010. This
examination is being run by the Federation of the Royal
Colleges of Physicians: it will almost certainly be in
September, and the precise date will be posted on the
BSR website as soon as it is known. In the meantime,
a small number of sample questions will be made
available on the website.
Dr Charles Mackworth-Young,
Chair, Education and Training Committee
5

Other|News
New Chief Executive for the
Arthritis Research Campaign
Funding opportunities for
musculoskeletal research
In 2008 UK research funding was reorganised to ensure opportunities for all
researchers in basic science, translational medicine, and clinical trials. A
coordinated strategy for funding clinical studies was developed by the National
Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC).
The MRC Experimental Medicine and the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME)
programmes were set up to secure the progress of new technologies and interventions
through their early clinical trials and on to larger, later clinical trials.
Dr Liam O’Toole has been appointed as the
new chief executive of the Arthritis Research
Campaign (arc).
Dr O’Toole replaces Fergus Logan, who left the
charity after 11 years as chief executive in May.
Dr O’Toole has a background of working in the
UK’s health and medical sectors. From January
2007 he was Head of the Office for Strategic
Coordination of Health Research (OSCHR), and
until the end of 2008 was chief executive of the
UK Clinical Research Collaboration.
Graham Bull Prize
in Clinical Science
The Royal College of Physicians is pleased to
announce that the Graham Bull Prize in Clinical
Science 2010 is now open for applications.
This award was established in 1988 in honour
of the late Sir Graham Bull who was the first
Director of the Clinical Research Centre at
Northwick Park. A Trust for the Graham Bull
Prize was set up to provide money for young
research workers under the age of 45 who feel
that they have made a major contribution to
clinical science. The work can cover a wide
range of expertise, such as molecular and
cellular biology, imaging technology, psychiatry,
or health sciences. The award is open to both
clinical and basic scientists who must apply for
their own work to be considered. The sum of
£1,000 will be awarded to the prize winner.
The closing date for applications is 31 March
2010. Further information is available, along
with an application form, on our website:
www.rcplondon.ac.uk/trustfunds
The EME programme was launched in 2008 and is funded by the MRC and managed
by the NIHR as the lead organisation for clinical trials and evaluation. The remit of the
EME programme includes clinical trials and evaluative studies, in patients, which
evaluate the clinical efficacy of interventions (where proof of concept in humans has
already been achieved). Studies may also add significantly to our understanding of
biological or behavioural mechanisms and processes by taking advantage of
opportunities provided by the main trial to undertake mechanistic evaluation.
The EME Board is multidisciplinary and meets three times per year and the
programme has a nominal budget of approximately £15 million per annum in steady
state. The EME programme provides an ongoing research opportunity with cut off
dates for submission of applications prior to each Board meeting. The programme
has received applications from a broad range of disciplines and the first EME funded
studies have now started.
The partnership between the NIHR and the MRC has resulted in a managed
translational pathway where:
• MRC programmes consider whether an intervention can work;
• the EME programme considers whether an intervention does work;
• the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme considers whether it is worth
doing (i.e. it is both clinically and cost effective).
There is a certain degree of planned overlap between the different funding programmes
to ensure that there are no gaps. In addition, there is opportunity for pull through of
promising interventions from one programme to another along the pathway, but also
for push back when necessary. There is close working between the programmes to
ensure applications are considered by the most appropriate one.
Find out more or apply for funding through the websites
• MRC Experimental Medicine – www.mrc.ac.uk
• EME programme – www.eme.ac.uk
• HTA programme – www.hta.ac.uk
Dr Danielle Preedy, Professor Ian Cree and Professor Rajesh Thakker
➜
Clinical study group for adult
inflammatory arthritis
Our next deadline for Expressions of Interest is 17 January 2010
Please see our strategy document for priority areas:
www.arc-research.org.uk/med_director/documents/IACSGStrategy.pdf
For further details contact sandra.wilkinson@newcastle.ac.uk
6

Other|News
www.rheumatology.org.uk
TRACE RA update
The TRACE RA trial (TRial of Atorvastatin for the Primary Prevention
of Cardiovascular Events in Rheumatoid Arthritis) has recruited its
1,300 th patient. This is a great achievement for the largest
network of rheumatology research collaborators ever put together
in the UK, to whom the TRACE RA team owe great thanks. However,
the challenge remains very high and this achievement needs to be
built upon over the coming months in order to achieve the target of
3,800 patients by the end of 2010. This will only be possible with
the continuing commitment of patients and colleagues within the
100 participating centres.
There are long proven benefits of statins to reduce cardiac events in
at-risk populations due to their cholesterol-lowering properties or
possibly through an anti-inflammatory effect. Due to RA patients being
previously mostly excluded from statin trials it is unclear whether this
benefit occurs in this patient group.
This five year trial, jointly funded by arc and the British Heart
Foundation, is led by Professors George Kitas, Jill Belch and Deborah
Symmons. It investigates whether atorvastatin is more effective than
placebo in the prevention of cardiovascular events in RA patients.
The trial also incorporates two sub-studies, all on the UKCRN portfolio.
TRACE RA-DAS investigates the hypothesis that atorvastatin is more
effective than placebo as adjunctive therapy in reducing RA disease
activity. TRACE RA-Biobank will provide a rich resource for future
mechanistic studies.
For further information, please go to www.dgoh.nhs.uk/tracera or
contact the Trial Manager, Hawys Williams, on 0161 2755639 or
hawys.williams@manchester.ac.uk
BSPAR Update
The British Society of Paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology
(BSPAR) Autumn meeting in Liverpool brought together many
members of the paediatric rheumatology community for a
successful meeting.
An away day for the Clinical Affairs Committee set priorities for the
group; this was open to all BSPAR membership and is to become an
annual event. Priorities set include: development of standards of care
and their assessment to support service development; clinical support
with guidelines and patient information leaflets; peer review and
support for effective clinical networks.
The BSPAR Standards of Care for Juvenile Arthritis are now available on
the BSPAR website and an audit tool is being developed, these will be
linked to new ARMA standards of care. The nursing group is growing
and has an annual meeting to support their development.
The BSPAR Etanercept Biologics Registry continues to recruit patients
and collect data during a period of transition and an anticipated move
to Manchester. A further study is looking at the use of other biologics in
paediatric rheumatology. A list of BSPAR research projects is available
on the website. Research is strongly encouraged for junior trainees in
paediatric rheumatology, the ARC/Barbara Ansell fellowship offers
funding for one year for trainees wishing to experience research in the
field. It is advisable for trainees to consider this even prior to clinical
experience in the specialty.
The BSPAR website is anticipating a face lift, improving sharing of
information among professionals, to support the busy sub-committees,
encourage membership involvement and disseminate publications and
useful pieces of work. An area for public access and patient information
is also proposed.
Please visit www.bspar.org.uk for more information.
NRAS World Arthritis Day parliamentary events
This year, World Arthritis Day focused on the theme of the
challenges of work. Over the last few years NRAS has been
engaging with policymakers to ensure that patients with RA are
supported in staying in or getting back to work. The aim of our
parliamentary events this year was to raise MPs’ awareness of
the developments that have been taking place in this area and
the challenges that remain for people with RA of working age.
implementing the Government’s Work, Health and Wellbeing
strategy. Steve Bevan, MD of the Work Foundation also presented a
summary of the pan-European study he has been leading on the
impact of musculoskeletal disorders on the workplace. The session
was chaired by Jenny Snell, Government Affairs Manager, NRAS and
also included NRAS volunteer Jean Burke’s account of being
diagnosed at age 39 when she was at the peak of her career.
We held a ‘drop in’ event during the afternoon of 13 October in
Portcullis House to enable MPs to call in and meet with both
representatives of NRAS and some of their members. Over 50 MPs
attended during the afternoon and were keen to hear our members’
personal stories about coping with RA in the workplace and what
impact it had on their ability to remain working. A photo opportunity
enabled the MPs to raise awareness in their local constituency and
highlight their support for WAD in the local media.
Following the drop in event key parliamentarians joined
representatives form the Department of Health, National Audit Office
and eminent clinicians and allied health professionals to hear an
update from Professor Dame Carol Black, National Director for
Health and Work on the progress that has been made in
Professor David G I Scott, Dr Deborah Bax and
Professor David Isenberg at the NRAS World Arthritis Day
7

Events
Registration is open for
Rheumatology 2010
Birmingham ICC, 21 – 23 April 2010
www.rheumatology.org.uk/education_events/conference_overview
BSR Courses
All BSR Courses are CPD Accredited
Advanced Course
Date: 9 – 10 December 2009
Fee: £250
Location: London
Convenor: Professor John Axford
Musculoskeletal Medicine and Pregnancy
Please note prices will increase slightly from
1 January 2010 to reflect the increase in VAT
Date: 4 February 2010
Fee: (Early Rate) £175
(Late Rate from 18/12/09) £225
Location: Oxford
Convenor: Dr Joel David
US Anatomy
Please note prices will increase slightly from
1 January 2010 to reflect the increase in VAT
Date: 19 March 2010
Fee: (Early Rate) £190
(Late Rate from 11/01/10) £240
Location: Newcastle
Convenor: Dr David Wright
Travelling Fellowship
Date: 9 – 10 December 2009
Fee: N/A
Location: Southampton
Convenor: Professor Cyrus Cooper and
Dr Elaine Dennison
For further information and to apply for any of
the above courses visit:
www.bsreducation.org.uk/courses.php
Places are limited so book early to
guarantee your place.
Events Calendar
30 – 31 Jan 2010
The Cambridge Musculoskeletal Education
Programme
Cambridge, UK
www.addenbrookes-pgmc.org.uk
Julie Graham
jlg37@medschl.cam.ac.uk
1 February 2010
EU Symposium: Breaking boundaries
in osteoarthritis
RCP, London, UK
www.treatoa.eu
Ursula Perks
Ursula.perks@kcl.ac.uk
1 – 5 March 2010
Intensive Applied Course in Epidemiology
Aberdeen, UK
www.abdn.ac.uk/public_health/epidemiology/
icae.php
Hazel MacLeod
epidemiology@abdn.ac.uk
20 – 21 March 2010
The Cambridge Musculoskeletal
Education Programme
Cambridge, UK
www.addenbrookes-pgmc.org.uk
Julie Graham
jlg37@medschl.cam.ac.uk
13 – 16 April 2010
13 th International Congress on
Antiphospholipid Antibodies (APLA 2010)
Texas, US
www.utmb.edu/apla2010
Lorraine Terrell or Silvia Pierangeli
loterrel@utmb.edu; sspieran@utmb.edu
(409)772-9300 or (409) 772-0222
20 April 2010
Primary care symposium: The spine
ICC, Birmingham, UK
www.rheumatology.org.uk/education_events/con
ference_overview/preconference_symposia.aspx
Louis Bellintani
lbellitani@rheumatology.org.uk
+44 (0)20 7842 0913
20 April 2010
Education symposium: Rheumatology
update
ICC, Birmingham, UK
www.rheumatology.org.uk/education_events/con
ference_overview/preconference_symposia.aspx
Louis Bellintani
lbellitani@rheumatology.org.uk
+44 (0)20 7842 0913
20 April 2010
BSR science symposium: Bone, Cartilage
and Immunology
ICC, Birmingham, UK
www.rheumatology.org.uk/education_events/conference_overview/preconference_symposia.aspx
Louis Bellintani
lbellitani@rheumatology.org.uk
+44 (0)20 7842 0913
5 – 8 May 2010
IOF World Congress on Osteoporosis
Florence, Italy
www.iofwco-ecceo10.org
Congress Secretariat
info@iofbonehealth.org
+33 4 72 91 41 77
9 – 12 May 2010
33 rd Scandinavian Congress of
Rheumatology
City of Bergen, Norway
www.scr2010.no
conferences@travelplanners.no
22 – 23 May 2010
The Cambridge Musculoskeletal
Education Programme
Cambridge, UK
www.addenbrookes-pgmc.org.uk
Julie Graham
jlg37@medschl.cam.ac.uk
26 Jun 2010 - 30 Jun 2010
37 th European Symposium on Calcified
Tissues
SECC, Glasgow, UK
www.ectsoc.org
Janet Crompton
admin@ectsoc.org
3 – 4 July 2010
The Cambridge Musculoskeletal Education
Programme
Cambridge, UK
www.addenbrookes-pgmc.org.uk
Julie Graham
jlg37@medschl.cam.ac.uk
8 – 10 July 2010
14 th International Conference on Behçet’s
Disease Endorsed by the British Society for
Rheumatology
London, UK
www.icbd2010.com/
Dr. Colin G. Barnes
cgbarnes@btinternet.com
BSR News is edited by Sally Thomas, Senior Communications Officer.
Dr Colin Pease, Honorary Secretary, is on the Editorial Board.
Please submit articles for consideration to Sally Thomas. Decisions made by the Editorial Board
are final and where submitted material does not appear in the newsletter, or has been edited,
no correspondence can be entered into.
BSR, Bride House, 18-20 Bride Lane, London, EC4Y 8EE
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BSR
The British Society for Rheumatology