Self-referral support available to arthritis patients in Northumberland

More support is being offered to people with arthritis.

The shared decision-making service Living Well with Arthritis, provided by charity Verus Arthritis, is for people with osteoarthritis of the knee and/or hip and aims to provide up-to-date information to help them make decisions about all of their healthcare options and improve the management of their arthritis.

The scheme, supported by NHS Northumberland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), has been running for some time but was previously only accessible following a referral from a GP or the JMAPS service.

Now, patients with a diagnosis of knee/hip osteoarthritis can refer themselves, so long as they are registered with a GP in Northumberland.

To self-refer, either register at https://www.versusarthritis.org/csnorthumberland or call 0300 790 0433.

Becky Shipley – Commissioned Services Manager - England from Versus Arthritis, said: “We aim to help patients feel more empowered to make informed decisions about their ongoing healthcare and take control of their life.

“Our services will provide you with high-quality support to help you live better with your arthritis by taking control of your care, learning to manage your pain and giving you access to the information you need to make informed decisions.”

Dr John Warrington, medical director at NHS Northumberland CCG, said: “We feel this is a valuable service that can provide useful additional support to patients living with this condition.

“GPs have been referring patients they think could benefit from this service, but if you believe it could help you then self-referral now provides an easy way for people to access what is on offer, with a choice of receiving one-to-one support or joining a group session.”

Visit https://www.versusarthritis.org/csnorthumberland