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Treating and supporting patients with joint problems and other related musculoskeletal conditions.
- Address: Crowborough War Memorial Hospital, Edenbridge & District War Memorial Hospital, Maidstone Hospital, Tunbridge Wells Hospital and Sevenoaks Hospital.,
What we do
We work across a number of hospitals to deliver high quality care to patients with joint problems and other related musculoskeletal conditions.
We run outpatient clinics and operate as a multi-professional team. Consultants, doctors, specialist nurses and others healthcare professionals, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists and rheumatology practitioners, offer a general rheumatology service and osteoporosis service, working with administrative staff to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Get in touch
Our advice line is for patients under our care with inflammatory conditions.
It is an answerphone service. Please leave a message about changes in your condition and we will try call back within 72 hours.
Messages are picked up 8am to 1pm, Monday to Friday. If you are only available at certain times please let us know. We will try and call you back twice and if we can't speak to you we will leave a message.
The advice line is not for urgent issues, please contact your GP or 111 if you need urgent advice.
Please leave your:
- Full name
- Hospital or NHS number
- Date of birth
- Contact numbers
If we cannot identify you we will not be able to ring you back.
The advice line is for:
- Side effects from drugs prescribed by us
- Flares of conditions that have not improved using self-help measures for at least a week (such as increasing pain control, or pacing)
- Ordering injectable Metoject
- Organising infusions Truxima (Rituximab) or Zolendronic Acid infusions or Denosumab injections.
The advice line can't help with:
- Changing or booking appointments. Please call the booking team on 01622 228219
- Giving results from clinic appointments including blood results, x-rays or scans
- New patients we haven't seen yet. Please speak to your GP
- Questions not about rheumatological conditions.
We run clinical trials at Maidstone Hospital and are often looking for potential patients to help us develop future treatments. Contact Catherine Oram on 01622 224609 or speak to our Research and Development team on 01622 729000.
Our team
Doctors
- Dr Arabella Waller, Clinical Lead Consultant Physician and Rheumatologist (Maidstone and Sevenoaks hospitals)
- Dr Mike Batley, Consultant Physician and Rheumatologist (Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks hospitals)
- Dr Alex Keough, Consultant Physician and Rheumatologist (Maidstone Hospital)
- Dr Pamela Leventis, Consultant Rheumatologist (Tunbridge Wells Hospital)
- Dr Jasmine Ishorari, Consultant Physician and Rheumatologist (Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals)
- Dr Amit Saha, Consultant Physician and Rheumatologist (Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks hospitals)
- Dr Matthew Szeto, Consultant Physician and Rheumatologist (Maidstone Hospital)
- Dr Chanaka Dahanayake, Consultant Physician and Rheumatologist (Tunbridge Wells, Crowborough and Fordcombe hospitals)
- Dr Daniel Ng, Consultant Rheumatologist (Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells and Fordcombe hospitals)
Nurses
- Ann-Marie Rae, Lead Nurse Rheumatology (Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone and Crowborough hospitals)
- Catherine Oram, Rheumatology Specialist Nurse (Maidstone and Sevenoaks hospitals)
- Oluchi Okeke, Rheumatology Specialist Nurse (Tunbridge Wells Hospital)
- Jayne Pickford, Rheumatology Nurse (Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone hospitals)
- Motilewa Osho, Rheumatology Nurse (Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone hospitals)
Physiotherapists
- Mike Brown, Extended Scope Physiotherapist (Tunbridge Wells Hospital)
Contact the team
- Valerie Whyatt, Zoe Venamore and Alison Parker, PA and Secretary to Dr Ng, Dr Keough, Dr Ishorari, Dr Waller and Dr Szeto
- 01622 224876
- 01622 227109
- 01622 477698
- Alison Gushlow, Medical Secretary and PA to Dr Batley: 01892 634971
- Suzanne Henbest, Medical Secretary and PA to Dr Leventis and Mike Brown: 01892 633371
- Katherine Jenner, Medical Secretary and PA to Dr Saha and Dr Dahanayake: 01892 633601
- Suzanne Nicholls, Medical Secretary to the Rheumatology Nurse team: 01622 224605
- Victoria Flory, TNF Co-ordinator Tunbridge Wells Hospital: 01892 634132
- TNF Co-ordinator Maidstone Hospital: 01622 224562
- TA Monitor: 01892 633632
Outpatients
Our outpatient clinics include:
- Weekly early arthritis clinics at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals. This is a rapid access clinic for GPs to refer or book anyone suspected of inflammatory arthritis, as early intervention is essential. We provide same-day access to ultrasound scanning.
- Monthly injection clinics at Maidstone Hospital by a consultant rheumatologist and weekly clinics at Tunbridge Wells Hospital by an extended scope practitioner
- Monthly ankylosing spondylitis clinics at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals with a dedicated physiotherapist
- A nurse-led early synovitis clinic providing DMARD education, training in Methotrexate injections and issuing and monitoring of Methotrexate prescriptions and anti-TNF, if needed
- Monthly connective tissue clinics
- Weekly osteoporosis clinics at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals. We also run a nurse-led osteoporosis management clinic
- Anti-TNF review clinics are run at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals by a specialist nurse
- Emergency slots are available for giant cell arteritis cases via a rapid review clinic
We also offer outreach services at Crowborough, Edenbridge and Sevenoaks hospitals.
Please come to your appointment 30 minutes early so we can take your blood pressure, weight and urine.
Please also bring a list of all the medication you are taking. Your appointment may not be with a consultant but with another specialist member of our team.