Patient voices in rheumatology| British Society for Rheumatology

Overview

An informative and collaborative day aimed at a clinical audience to deepen their understanding of patient perspectives and enhance their clinical approach for better outcomes.

Date

27 June 2025

Venue

The University of Chicago Booth, London

This one day conference represents a novel approach from the BSR education committee to bring a different type of expert to the lectern as part of a new format that uses patient stories and perspectives to deliver a fresh narrative to clinical learning. These key areas are often neglected when it comes to continuing professional development offerings.

In patient-centered care, experiences, both positive and negative, need to be integral to how we learn as healthcare professionals, and how we are inspired to build and deliver our services.

For this conference, we will focus on four key areas:

Communication
Shared decision-making
Disability and diversity
Collaborating with patients in service design and research

Sessions will be delivered by experts experienced in involving patients both in service design and delivery, alongside patients and advocates who will provide fresh and illuminating perspectives.

Our patient experts supporting the delivery of this course will share experiences that represent adult and children and young people with the aim to share lifespan experiences where appropriate.

What you can expect:

Real patient stories: Engage with first hand accounts that highlight the emotional, psychological, and physical challenges faced by patients within and outside of clinical settings. Hear experts share their tips on how to build relationships, be inclusive and involve patients.
Key insights: Learn critical lessons from patient experiences to identify areas for improvement in care, communication, and overall clinical outcomes.
Practical tools: Gain actionable strategies to integrate patient perspectives into your research and service delivery design.
Evidence-based learning: Each experience is paired with evidence-based recommendations to help bridge gaps and refine clinical skills.

After attending this conference, attendees should be able to:

Recognise the importance of communication in terms of the patient experience.
Reflect on patient experiences shared during the conference and use these to shape change in their personal clinical practice and service delivery. These changes should recognise patient requirements in rheumatology clinical pathways.
Understand the process of shared decision-making and self-management and how to integrate them into clinical care pathways, to support patient empowerment.
Develop an understanding of the unique needs of individuals with differing ethnic backgrounds and varying levels of disability. They should be able to critically appraise their services and implement positive changes that better serve their diverse patient population.
Recognise how to implement active patient involvement in research, service delivery and design within their working environments, identifying opportunities to integrate patient contributions into their clinical and organisational practices.

Book now Discount

Patient voices in rheumatology 2025

Book now

Please note we can only accept payment by card for our bookings

Use code PATIENTVOICES20 before Friday 2 May for 20% early bird discount

Pricing

Members

Non-members

Level 1: consultant, allied specialty consultant and pharma representative

£225

+VAT

Level 2: rheumatology specialty trainee, GP and specialty doctor

£175

+VAT

Level 3: allied health professional, clinical academic, foundation trainee, nurse, non-clinical scientist, psychologists, physician associates, pharmacists, retired and other

£130

+VAT

Level 1: consultant, allied specialty consultant and pharma representative

£340

+VAT

Level 2: rheumatology specialty trainee, GP and specialty doctor

£250

+VAT

Level 3: allied health professional, clinical academic, foundation trainee, nurse, non-clinical scientist, psychologists, physician associates, pharmacists, retired and other

£195

+VAT

Patient organisations

Versus Arthritis

Vasculitis UK

Teapot Trust

National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society

NASS

Bath Institute for Rheumatic Diseases

2025 draft programme

Friday 27 June

Morning

09:00 - 14:00

Afternoon

14:00 - 17:40

FAQs


Where is the course located?
The course takes place in-person at The Chicago Booth London Conference Centre, One Bartholomew Close Barts Square, London, EC1A 7BL. The venue is centrally located and easily accessible by multiple modes of transport. Further directions and advice for travel can be found here.


How many CPD points is this course equivalent to?
The course contains up to 6 hours of educational content so is equivalent to 6 learning hours/credits.

Is there any funding support available to attend the course?

We’re currently running a discount code for this course to help with limited funding. Use the discount code PATIENTVOICES20, to get 20% off your registration fee – available until 2 May.

We also have bursary schemes to support attendance at BSR courses and conferences, including this one. This year we’re running our UK member education bursary and the Low and middle-income countries education bursary. Funding of up to £300 is available for face-to-face courses to support with registration fees, travel, and accommodation.

To find out more about eligibility, applications, and more, please visit the bursaries webpage.

How does this course relate to my day-to-day practice as an experienced healthcare professional?

This course offers a unique opportunity to hear from the experts - both patients and clinicians who are leading change in healthcare professional and patient interactions.

With sessions covering communication, shared decision making, disability and diversity, collaboration in service design and research, here are some ways the course will improve your day-to-day practice:

Enhancing communication leads to better patient outcomes. Research shows that when patients feel heard and understood, they are more likely to engage with treatment, improving both satisfaction and adherence. You’ll learn ways to translate this into your own clinical encounters no matter where you are in your career path.

Great communication is a skill we refine over time. Even with years of experience, patient interactions can present unexpected challenges. This course offers fresh perspectives to help you further strengthen your approach and avoid common pitfalls.
Person-centered care is evolving. The NHS Long-Term Plan emphasises personalised care based on what matters to patients. This course provides practical ways to embed that into your daily practice and the way your department works.
Shared decision-making is key to building trust. This course explores strategies for engaging patients in their own care, leading to stronger partnerships and better clinical results.
Your experience is invaluable - this course builds on it. By incorporating patient voices, you’ll gain new insights to build on your expertise, ensuring the best possible care for diverse patient needs, recognising the impact of wide-ranging personal and cultural influences.

How does the course map to the rheumatology training curriculum?

The rheumatology specialty training curriculum includes competencies in communicating diagnosis and management options with patients and multidisciplinary teams. This course focuses on how to develop these skills by recognising both the overt and hidden needs of the people in your care.

Additionally, Domain 3 of the GMC (Good Medical Practice) framework is focused on Communication, Partnership and Teamwork. We’ll look at how this is incorporated in individual and departmental practice to help produce a lifetime of effective chronic disease care.

Bursary

Looking for funding towards your place on this course? Applications for our education bursaries in 2025 are now open, so if you're a health professional, nurse or trainee member, or a colleague from a low and middle-income country, we could support you.

Patient voices in rheumatology

Overview

Book now Discount

Patient voices in rheumatology 2025

Please note we can only accept payment by card for our bookings

Use code PATIENTVOICES20 before Friday 2 May for 20% early bird discount

Pricing

Level 1: consultant, allied specialty consultant and pharma representative

Level 2: rheumatology specialty trainee, GP and specialty doctor

Level 3: allied health professional, clinical academic, foundation trainee, nurse, non-clinical scientist, psychologists, physician associates, pharmacists, retired and other

Level 1: consultant, allied specialty consultant and pharma representative

Level 2: rheumatology specialty trainee, GP and specialty doctor

Level 3: allied health professional, clinical academic, foundation trainee, nurse, non-clinical scientist, psychologists, physician associates, pharmacists, retired and other

Patient organisations

Versus Arthritis

Vasculitis UK

Teapot Trust

National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society

NASS

Bath Institute for Rheumatic Diseases

2025 draft programme

Morning

09:00 - 14:00

TIME

SESSION

SPEAKERS

09:00 - 09:20

Arrival, Registration, and Refreshments

09:20 - 09:30

Welcome and Introduction to the day

Session 1: Communication

09:30 - 10:15

Language of consultation

Dr Melanie Sloan

10:15 - 11:00

Patient experiences

3 x patient representatives

11:00 - 11:30

Break

Session 2: Shared decision making and Self-management

11:30 - 12:00

Shared decision making

Prof Zoe Paskins

12:00 - 12:30

Self-management and changing behaviour

Prof Sarah Ryan

12:30 - 13:00

Patient representation

Clare Clark and Zoe Clark, NASS

13:00 - 14:00

Lunch

Afternoon

14:00 - 17:40

TIME

SESSION

SPEAKERS

Session 3: Disability and Diversity

14:00 - 14:30

What disability is and isn’t

Prof Adewale Adebajo

14:30 - 15:00

Patient experiences

2 x patient representatives

15:00 - 15:20

Break

Session 4: Effective collaboration with patient partners in Service Design and Research

15:20 - 15:50

Patient involvement in service design

Dr Charlotte Sharp

15:50 - 16:20

Patient involvement in research and quality improvement

Dr Rosemary Hollick

16:20 - 16:50

Using patient voices as a transformation tool

Patient representative

16:50 - 17:30

Keynote lecture

Dr Simon Stones

17:30 - 17:40

Summary and closing remarks

Using patient voices as a transformation tool 

The course takes place in-person at The Chicago Booth London Conference Centre, One Bartholomew Close Barts Square, London, EC1A 7BL.

The venue is centrally located and easily accessible by multiple modes of transport. Further directions and advice for travel can be found here.