Healthcare team from Dudley have featured in a new national online learning tool

The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) has launched its SMILE-RA e-learning experience for people who have RA and their families.

The interactive series of modules also includes an explanation of all the healthcare professionals who may be involved in the patient's care.

And the team featured in the online learning tool are from The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Russells Hall Hospital.

Dr Elizabeth Hale, chartered health psychologist with the Rheumatology Department, said: “We're very proud to have been involved in this – I think it will help patients enormously in understanding a complex condition and the journey they have through a lot of specialty input.”

The film features 10 members of the Dudley team, including a consultant rheumatologist, clinical nurse specialist, several Allied Health Professionals, a GP with Specialist Interest (GPwSI) and a pharmacist. It explains who the patient may see and what they can expect from their care team.

A spokesman for the NRAS said: “Learning about the disease and how to self-manage with the right support is extremely important when you have a long-term disease like RA. There is a great deal of evidence to show that structured, supported self-management improves long-term outcomes and helps people experience a better quality of life.”

Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disease, meaning that the symptoms such as pain and inflammation are caused by the immune system attacking the joints. It affects more than 400,000 people in the UK.

To register free of charge for the e-learning, visit nras.org.uk/selfmanagement