Patient quote
Send us your comments"The Rheumatology nurses Ruth and Barbara are there whenever something crops up I’m not sure on, if you leave a message they get back to you straight away and explain in detail what I need to know but in a way that I can understand fully."
Jargon buster
autologous transfusion
Transfusion of blood previously taken from the patient.
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Paediatric Rheumatology
Contact: (0191) 282 5318 - Dr Mark Friswell, Consultant Paediatric Rheumatologist
Our Children’s Rheumatology Unit provides the only dedicated service in the North of England for the diagnosis and treatment of children’s rheumatic diseases. It is an award-winning unit, with an international reputation for the quality of care we provide and for our contribution to both national and international research.
We are the only children’s rheumatology team outside London to provide autologous stem-cell treatment for children with the most severe rheumatological problems, and we have one of the UK’s largest research programmes into children’s rheumatology diseases, headed by Professor Helen Foster, one of only three professors of paediatric rheumatology in the country.
Specialist care for all your children's healthcare needs
We provide a full range of services to treat musculoskeletal problems, such as arthritis, and many other connective tissue diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), juvenile dermatomyositis (JDMS), scleroderma and poly-arteritis nodosa (PAN). We run a rapid access clinic, which ensures that your child can be diagnosed and start their treatment as quickly as possible. Our clinic for adolescents is one of the few in the country that provides a tailor-made service for teenagers and young adults. We also run a dedicated young adult clinic for patients over the age of 18 whose disease started in childhood.
Our treatments include the most modern drug therapies with children’s nurses, paediatric physiotherapists and occupational therapists providing an all-round package of advanced paediatric care. In fact, we are the only unit in the region with a complete team of dedicated children’s specialists trained in paediatric rheumatology and encompassing medical, nursing, physiotherapy and occupational therapy professionals.
Expert care when and where you need it
Most of our patients come from across northern England, from the Scottish borders down to North Yorkshire and across to Cumbria, but we do see patients from outside this region for more specialised treatments. All patients are initially seen for assessment at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle, but subsequent appointments can be in one of our outreach clinics in Carlisle and Darlington, so you don’t have to travel as far to see one of our specialists.
