A NEW rheumatology clinic has been opened at Wellington Community Hospital.

The new point of care ultrasound (POCUS) clinic – launched at the beginning of the year - aids with the rapid diagnosis of early inflammatory arthritis after a patient has been referred in by their GP, allowing treatment to start more promptly.

The service began in January, running three to four times a month, including a dual-run ultrasound scan service, provided by one of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s sonographers.

The trust’s consultant rheumatologists and specialist nurses see anywhere between 6 to 8 patients per clinic, with ultrasound scans completed for all of them during their appointment.

One of Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s rheumatology consultants, Dr Natasha Weisz runs the service at Wellington Hospital, and explains why it’s working so well outside of the two acute hospitals.

She said: “For many years we’ve been providing rheumatology care and treatment from our acute hospitals in Taunton and Yeovil. As demand soars, the pressure on the service has increased.

“We have needed to become more efficient in the way we provide services, so it has been a huge step forward in terms of diagnosing patients faster and being able to commence treatment at their first appointment. This has had a very positive impact on the waiting times for our service.

“The patients we see in Wellington naturally tend to be from the local area, with rheumatology services also running from other community hospitals in Minehead, Bridgwater and South Petherton.

“Community hospitals are essential to enable the expansion of rheumatology services and benefits patients who live far from our main base at Musgrove Park Hospital.

“At our Wellington Hospital clinic, it’s even possible for an ultrasound scan to be arranged during the same appointment, so rheumatology consultants and specialist nurses can assess patients’ level of inflammation.

“The results of the scan can be acted on within the same appointment, so it’s very much a one-stop-shop that makes it quicker to diagnose the condition, and importantly, speeds up the time to begin treatment.

“One of the great things about our service is that we’re not only diagnosing patients with an inflammatory disease, but also identifying those who don’t, and we can discharge them from the service.”

With the service making a really positive impact at Wellington Hospital so far, Natasha said she hopes it can expanded further in the future.

“If we can recruit an additional specialist nurse then we’ll be able to run another clinic, and therefore get more patients started on important treatment,” she continued.

“The feedback from patients has been really positive and they’ve told us that they prefer having their appointments closer to home in Wellington. In fact, some patients who live closer to Taunton even request to have their follow-up appointments at Wellington Hospital!”

Martine Thurtle, chair of the Wellington Hospital League of Friends, adds: "We're really pleased to have this level of service running at Wellington Hospital as it's great news for people from the local area who can get this care and treatment closer to home."