Rheumatology - Rheumatology Blood Monitoring Clinic - DMARD tablets

Name:

Hospital Number:

NHS Number:

Consultant:

This leaflet gives you information about your new Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drug (DMARD).

You will first attend the Drug Education Clinic. For any appointments at this clinic, you will need to report to the main outpatient reception then make your way to outpatient area 4.

The following information will be shared with you:

□    Risks and benefits of treatment
□    The Versus Arthritis UK leaflet
□    Blood test/chest X-ray
□    Importance of blood monitoring and schedule:
•    Every 2 weeks for 10 weeks after starting your medication
•    Then Monthly for 3 months
•    Then every 3 months after this
 
□    Your blood monitoring schedule for your medication called __________________________________________________________will be:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

□    Provision of a prescription for 2 months of your new medication. Please take your prescription to the hospital Lloyds pharmacy located next to the main desk, Hope Building to be dispensed

□    Follow up Drug Education Clinic appointment 7 weeks after starting treatment and another 8 weeks prescription will be issued

□    Useful links:

Versus Arthritis
http://www.versusarthritis.org

National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society
http://www.nras.org.uk/
 
After attending your Drug Education Clinic, you will then commence your blood monitoring. For this clinic you will report directly to Area 4 in outpatients without booking at the main outpatient reception.

Blood Monitoring Clinics are open Monday to Friday 8.40am – 12pm (morning clinic) and 1pm - 5pm (afternoon clinic). It is your responsibility to make sure you have Blood Monitoring Clinic appointments arranged.

Please ensure you bring this leaflet to all your appointments and attend your allocated Blood Monitoring Clinic appointments, avoiding any changes to your appointments. If you do not attend your blood monitoring appointments, we will not be able to continue to prescribe your medication.

The blood monitoring schedule may change if your blood tests are abnormal or any changes in your medication and you will be contacted over the phone to discuss this. Some medications do have a different schedule to this, and this will have been discussed when you started your medication.

Once your treatment and blood tests are stable (normally after 3-4 months), then we will write to your GP and ask if they can take over the prescription and monitoring of your drug as per schedule. For any prescription queries, please contact our prescription co-ordinator on 0161 206 8457.

Drug Education Clinic

Treatment

Blood Monitoring

Useful contact numbers and information

Blood test appointments 0161 206 2339
9am - 12 noon Monday to Friday

Prescription queries 0161 206 8457

Rheumatology advice line 0161 524 1428:
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
Opening times are at the top right-hand corner of your clinic letter

The Rheumatology Consultant’s secretary:
Prof. Dixon/Dr Harrison/Dr Jani/Dr Ayub - 0161 206 1082
Prof. O'Neill/Dr Low - 0161 206 4627
Dr Samaranayaka/Dr Hughes - 0161 206 4264
Dr Kamath/Prof. Chinoy/Dr Lilleker - 0161 206 7048