PCRMM Conference 2024, Delta Marriot Hotel, Liverpool
Friday, 28th June
The morning sessions started with an update on gout management from Dr Nicky Goodson, Rheumatologist from Aintree Hospital in Liverpool and then a talk on the IDEAL study from Prof Jon Packham from the Haywood Hospital in Stoke on Trent. This study is aiming to look at the reasons for delay in diagnosis for Spondyloarthritis, as the current UK delay is 8 and a half years.
Prof Philip Helliwell gave us a talk on psoriatic arthritis and discussed whether we should be referring all our patients to a rheumatology service. He addressed some of the prognostic factors which cause psoriasis to develop into psoriatic arthropathy (PsA) and how some of these are modifiable such as obesity and the metabolic syndrome.
At lunchtime ORCA medical brought along some of their ultrasound machines and the delegates were given hands-on demonstrations and tuition from their staff, and Jonathan Dewell who is an APP Podiatrist from Shropshire and Dr Lucy Douglas (Past President of PCRMM) who kindly helped-out.
After lunch we had a talk from Kate Lacey who is a radiographer running the metastatic spinal cord pathway in Liverpool. This was an eye-opener for myself as we don’t have a similar pathway in my area, or if we do, I am unaware of it. There is NICE guidance on this which is worth reading.
Overview | Spinal metastases and metastatic spinal cord compression | Guidance | NICE
Dr Rosaline Benson then spoke about diagnosing connective tissue disorders and some of the pointers to early recognition, such as primary and secondary Raynaud’s phenomenon.
Finally, Mr Birender Kapoor who is an Orthopaedic surgeon, spoke about the surgical management of metastatic bone disease and the amazing prosthetic bone replacements which can be undertaken to give the patient back mobility and quality of life.
The conference was attended by a mix of GPs, physios and first contact physiotherapists, who all seemed to have a rewarding experience.
A big thank you to Siobhan and Carol from Signature Communications who arranged the conference and made everything happen.
For those attended the event and want to watch the day again, recordings of the day are now available on the PCRMM website in the resources section. Simply make sure you are signed in, and then use the links below to watch each of the presentations.
- Practical Gout Management & Toolkit
Dr Nicky Goodson, Consultant Rheumatologist, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool - IDEAL Study
Professor Jon Packham, Consultant Rheumatologist / Associate Medical Director for Physical Health, Rheumatology Department, Haywood Hospital, Stoke on Trent, Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust - Psoriatic Arthritis in the Community – Should Everyone be Referred?
Professor Philip Helliwell & Professor of Clinical Rheumatology, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Leeds - Malignant Spinal Cord Compression
Kate Lacey, Macmillan Metastatic Spinal Cord Compression Service Lead, The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre - Sjögren’s Syndrome and Updates in Management of CTDs
Rosalind Benson, Consultant Rheumatologist Liverpool University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - Metastatic Bone Disease
Dr Birendra Kapoor, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Royal Liverpool Hospital.
If you missed the event, but would still like to watch the presentations, recordings of the day will be available on the PCRMM website soon.
Dr Louise Warburton
