Rheum for Improvement Podcast

Rheum for Improvement is the podcast dedicated to service improvement in axial SpA care.

In each episode, hosts Lucy and Hasan are joined by healthcare professionals from across the UK who are determined to improve diagnosis and care for patients with axial SpA. Guests chat openly about their service improvement project, reflecting on the highs, the lows, challenges and big wins.

Listeners can expect to walk away filled with inspiration to create change in their own departments.

Episodes are available on all good streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple and Castbox.

Meet the hosts

Rheum for Improvement is hosted by Lucy Davies and Hasan Tahir.

Lucy is Deputy Director at NHS Transformation Unit…

Lucy Davies : Rheum for Improvement podcast host Lucy is Deputy Director at the NHS Transformation Unit where she leads complex change programmes across health and care. She is the Programme Lead for NASS’s Aspiring to Excellence programme and has a passion for supporting clinicians to realise their improvement project goals.

Hasan is a Consultant Physician and Rheumatologist….

Hasan Tahir : Rheum for Improvement podcast Hasan is a Rheumatologist at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. He is also an honorary clinical professor in the Division of Medicine at University College London. His main clinical and research interest is in SPA and focusing on early identification and novel biological therapies. In his current Trust he leads the Axial SpA Service which is part of the NASS Aspiring to Excellence programme.

Listen: Eps. 1 - 3

Episodes will be released every two weeks as of 23 September, 2022.

Rheum for Improvement - Ep. 1

Hosts Lucy and Hasan introduce the podcast and meet Dr Dale Webb, NASS CEO, who explains the need for service improvement in axial SpA care.

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Rheum for Improvement - Ep. 2

Lucy and Hasan meet Dr Antoni Chan, a Rheumatologist from Royal Berkshire Hospital. Toni discusses his teams project to improve access to mental health resources for patients with axial SpA and how they used data to drive their success.

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Rheum for Improvement - Ep. 3

Lucy and Hasan meet Dr Helena Marzo-Ortega, Consultant Rheumatologist and Associate Professor from Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trusts. Helena explains how her team took a big service improvement project and broke it down to make it manageable and achieve their goals.

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Listen: Eps. 4 - 6

Rheum for Improvement - Ep. 4

Lucy and Hasan meet Dr Ben Thompson, Consultant Rheumatologist from Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Ben explains how his team set about streamlining care for patients with axial SpA by improving the way they work with multiple disciplines.

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Rheum for Improvement - Ep. 5

In this episode, we welcome back NASS CEO, Dr Dale Webb. He joins Lucy and Hasan to introduce the Champions in Primary Care programme from NASS and discuss why we need service improvement in primary care.

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Rheum for Improvement - Ep. 6

In the final episode of this season, Lucy and Hasan meet Paula Dowie a Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist from NHS Fife. Paula explains how her team worked with patients to improve attendance levels at their clinic.

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Guest episodes from Act on axial SpA

We have a series of guest episodes from our Act on axial SpA campaign highlighting key successes in driving down diagnostic delay

Guest episode - Ophthalmology

Host Lucy Davies meets with Dr Nima Ghadiri, Consultant Ophthalmologist at Royal Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Professor Karl Gaffney, Consultant Rheumatologist at Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust who is Chair of the British Society for SpondyloArthritis (BRITSPA). Nima and Karl discuss the links between Uveitis and axial SpA, how ophthalmologists can recognise axial Spa in their patients and how closer working between ophthalmology and rheumatology can help reduce the delay to diagnosis in axial SpA.

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Guest episode - Gastroenterology

Hosts Lucy Davies and Professor Hasan Tahir meet with Dr Christian Selinger, Consultant Gastroenterologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Professor Raj Sengupta, Consultant Rheumatologist at Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Royal United Hospitals Bath. Christian and Raj discuss the links between Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and axial SpA, how gastroenterologists can recognise axial Spa in their patients and how closer working between gastroenterology and rheumatology can help reduce the delay to diagnosis in axial SpA.

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Guest Episode - MRI in axial SpA diagnosis

Hosts Lucy Davies and Professor Hasan Tahir meet with Dr Timothy Bray, Consultant Radiologist at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Professor Alex Bennett, Consultant Rheumatologist at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Stanford Hall. Alex and Tim discuss the role of MRI including when it should be used, who should request it, the correct approach (sequences / protocols) and diagnostic criteria and how closer working between radiology and rheumatology can help reduce the delay to diagnosis in axial SpA.

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Scrub up on QI

Need to refresh your quality improvement methodology? Never fear, Lucy is here! Check out these bite-size videos that walk-through tactics you can use to drive your project.