Rheumatology

Our Rheumatology Specialty Delivery Group (SDG) includes nominated multi-disciplinary representation from all NHS Boards providing Rheumatology Services in Scotland, as well as representatives from the third sector.

Processes

We are working with Boards implementing Active Clinical Referral Triage (ACRT) and Discharge Patient Initiated Review (PIR) and this remains a focus.

Read a case-study on Discharge PIR implementation in Grampian [PDF]

Pathways

The Hand Osteoarthritis (OA) Pathway

The Hand OA Pathway for Scotland supports a consistent, person-centred approach to the care and management of Hand Osteoarthritis (OA). It provides clear guidance for helping to improve understanding of the condition and support informed decision-making. 

By promoting best practice across Scotland, the pathway aims to reduce unwarranted variation in care, improve efficiency, support timely access to services, and enable more care to be delivered closer to home.

Workforce

Understanding and developing the multidisciplinary workforce is essential to meeting growing demand for rheumatology services. This report summarises findings from a national assessment of the rheumatology health professional workforce across NHS Scotland.

Rheumatology Health Professional Workforce Assessment [PDF]