Hospital hosts rheumatology fellowship
06 August 2016
Health Care
Southend University Hospital’s renowned rheumatology team has just played host to the British Society of Rheumatology’s (BSR) Travelling Fellowship Week, allowing the hospital to showcase its staff, facilities and procedures.
Running for over 20 years, the Travelling Fellowship is a unique
opportunity for UK trainees and newly appointed consultants to
visit other rheumatology departments to study their resources and
activities first hand. It provides a much valued opportunity for
trainees to interact with each other and share the innovative
practices of the host hospital.
The Fellowship included consultants from Musgrove Park Hospital,
Bristol NHS Trust University College London Hospital NHS Trust and
Luton and Dunstable NHS Trust, as well as Liverpool and Tunbridge
Wells.
Of the visit Professor Bhaskar Dasgupta, the hospital's
Consultant Rheumatologist, and Clinical Director Research &
Development, said: 'The feedback from the Travelling Fellows has
been brilliant. They commented about the breadth of joined up
services available in the hospital and within Rheumatology. It
shows that acute trusts become centres of excellence by greater
emphasis on academic and research work. This improves patient
satisfaction and outcomes and helps recruit better staff. Two of
the Travelling Fellows have approached us for work in an honorary
capacity so that they can learn and train at Southend.'
The BSR's Education and Training Committee said that Southend
Hospital was chosen to host the Fellowship this year as they were
very impressed by their excellent detailed and diverse programme
including sessions on saving sight & the fast-track pathway,
temporal artery ultrasound, imaging for Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA),
biologics for Polymyalgia Rheumatica and large vessel vasculitis,
patient education and integrated pain services.
One of the Fellows, Dr Priyanka Chandratre, commented: "I had a
great time with lovely hospitality by the Southend team. There were
lots of interactive learning opportunities and I couldn't have
asked for more."