This page is intended for use by clinicians at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham as a guideline for referring patients to Rheumatology.
How to refer
If a patient needs further support from Rheumatology, please refer via the following methods:
Rheumatology emergency
If you feel that the patient has a rheumatological emergency:
- Contact the rheumatology SpR on call via switchboard between:
- Monday to Friday, 09:00-17:00
- Saturday to Sunday, 09:00-12:00
- Outside of the above hours, refer to the on call medical registrar and make a PICS referral to Rheumatology who will review the referral in normal working hours
Monday to Sunday (all hours)
- Refer all patients via PICS (Requests > Rheumatology referral QEHB)
- Contact Rheumatology on call via Switchboard to discuss the referral between the following times:
- Monday to Friday, 09:00-17:00
- Saturday to Sunday, 09:00-12:00
- Outside of the above hours, the referral will be triaged by the Rheumatology team and the patient will be contacted appropriately as an outpatient
- Do not bring the patient back to MSDEC for an inpatient Rheumatology review
- Inform the patient to email Rheumatology if they have not heard from them within seven days
- Ensure the contact details are correct (address and telephone number) and include a telephone number in the referral
Giant cell arteritis
If you suspect giant cell arteritis (GCA), please ensure:
- Bloods (FBC, U+Es, CRP and ESR) are completed
- Calculate and document the Southend GCA Probability Score
- Imaging – there is no need to routinely book a US scan or temporal biopsies, the Rheumatology team will arrange these
- If you feel the patient can be discharged, please prescribe 40mg Prednisolone OD with PPI cover for 14 days if suspecting GCA
Gout
Please see the guidelines in the downloads section.
Last reviewed: 23 April 2025