The Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Bath has been awarded just under £2 million to lead research on the painful arthritic condition Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA).
Part of the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust (RUH), the RNHRD provides a specialist service for patients with PsA and is highly regarded nationally and internationally as a centre of excellence for the condition – helping sufferers to work towards a pain free, active life through a tailored combination of therapy, drugs and exercise.
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) awarded the £2m grant for a five-year programme of research to improve diagnosis, referral pathways and clinical care for people with PsA.
The RNHRD will lead on the research programme in partnership with the University of Bath, and will work with other NHS Trusts and universities across the country.
PsA is an inflammatory arthritis which affects around 400,000 people in England.
It causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints and is accompanied in some severe cases by a chronic disfiguring skin disease.
There is currently no specific test for PsA but emerging evidence suggests that earlier diagnosis and treatment can help reduce the effects of this disease.
Professor Neil McHugh, Consultant Rheumatologist at the RNHRD and Professor of Pharmacoepidemiology at the University of Bath, will lead the research project.
He said: “I am delighted that we have received this significant amount of funding, this represents one of the largest awards ever granted to the RNHRD.
“I am looking forward to working with my colleagues across the country to make further progress in identifying and tackling this long term condition.
“Working with the University of Bath and drawing on expertise across the NHS will allow us to deliver evidence-based, practical recommendations for tests that can look for the disease in its early stage, leading to quicker referrals for those with PsA.
“This research will also help us understand the best way to care for people with this condition as well as how to develop educational material and guidelines to provide support to patients, carers and the healthcare community.”
Professor McHugh added: “Understanding patients’ experience of this disease will be at the heart of this research.
“If we want to measure whether treatment for PsA is effective, we need to identify what matters to patients – looking not just at physical aspects, such as fatigue and pain, but also mental health and wellbeing and broader quality of life measures such as the ability to work or socialise.”
Research and development continues to underpin the high quality, evidence-based care delivered both at the RNHRD and the RUH.
The recent affiliation of both research teams has served to create a powerhouse for health research in the City of Bath, strengthened further by its links to other renowned local research institutions such as the University of Bath.
