A second three-day course for nurses managing patients with a rare condition called vasculitis is to be held at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
The Vasculitis and Lupus Service, which held the first in June, is to hold the next on October 6 as part of a series running over two years. Each is for groups of around four attendees from anywhere in the UK.
The courses allow them to experience the role of a vasculitis nurse specialist and to gain knowledge from clinical and research nurses as well as doctors and others in the field. They learn best practice, treatment options, patient education and an understanding of the multi-professional approach.
Vasculitis is a complex multisystem autoimmune disease that can become life-threatening. The immune system attacks healthy blood vessels, causing them to become inflamed, damaged or narrowed. Reduced blood flow, if untreated, then damages the tissue and part of the body it is supplying. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial.
The vasculitis service in Cambridge is one of the largest in the UK and cares for over 2,000 patients with vasculitis, lupus, and multisystem autoimmune disease from across the UK.
It holds 120 outpatient appointment in three clinics per week, a consultant-led inpatient service, a day case infusions centre, plasma exchange service, and multiple research clinics for patients in ongoing studies. The nursing team manage a dedicated Monday to Friday patient advice line.
Multidisciplinary team meetings (MDTs) are held throughout each week, and regional MDTs and vasculitis research meetings occur fortnightly. The vasculitis service is led by renowned nephrology consultants and researchers with support from a dedicated team of specialist clinical and research nurses.
One of the Cambridge Vasculitis and Research Nurse Training Course facilitators, Jane Hollis, said:
Although sharing of nursing expertise is highly desirable, there is a lack of opportunities for specialist vasculitis nurse training across the UK. We received 27 expressions of interest from 19 Trusts across UK, demonstrating there is clear demand.
Jane Hollis
For more information on the department, which is grateful to pharmaceutical company CSL Vifor for supporting the courses, visit Lupus and vasculitis service | CUH.