This is one of two pages about referrals.
The next page gives you guidance on what to think about when referring specific presentations
We will only accept patients referred from the region previously known as the South East LIHN (now Home and Community Care Support Services). See map below
You should write to us as a team. We will triage according to wait time and subspecialty interest
If there is no history, no physical, and no clear question, then don’t be surprised if we are unable to triage the referral
The office scope of practice includes:
- Inflammatory arthritis e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, seronegative spondyloarthritis (AS, reactive)
- PMR and GCA
- Crystal arthropathies
- Connective tissue diseases SLE scleroderma, Sjogrens. (We do not accept hereditary disorders of collagen such as EDS etc)
- Local soft tissue rheumatic complaints eg de Quervain, Tennis elbow
- Osteoporosis
Where applicable please specify referral to the
- early RA clinic – new onset inflammatory polyarthritis which needs urgent assessment
- gout clinic – established or suspected gout especially in difficult situations eg renal failure, drug intolerance
- injection clinic – patients with shoulder pain, OA knee, base of thumb etc where injection may help
- osteoporosis clinic
For urgent referrals who need to be seen with 48 hours please call the office or email via one-mail.
For GCA please call me
The office scope of practice excludes:
- Chronic pain syndromes Unfortunately we are unable to offer a chronic pain service, as this requires a multiprofessional team and unique resources; we believe there are providers in the area who are better able to help these patients.
- Non inflammatory back problems
- Myopathies where there is a potential need for EMG, muscle biopsy, IV Ig – this group are better served at an academic unit
Wait times
Current wait times are still less than 3 months for patients within the scope of practice, with urgent patients being seen sooner, if accepted.
We believe that potential new RA should also be seen urgently within 2 weeks – please identify patients who need to be seen in the early RA clinic
In addition we run a rapid injection clinic for patients whom you feel need joint or soft tissue injections, e.g.trigger finger, rotator cuff disorders, OA base of thumb. Please identify these patients who should be seen in the injection clinic.
Urgent patients, if accepted, will be seen the same week. Other priority patients will be seen within a small number of weeks.