Newcastle healthcare information

Finding a GP

If you’re new to Newcastle, one of the first things you should think about is registering with a GP.
Students living in Newcastle can register online here.
If you’re not a student, you need to find a GP surgery that covers the address where you are living.
You can register with any GP in your local area as long as they have space for new patients.
Find a GP in Newcastle here.
Before you register, contact the GP surgery to confirm that it covers the address where you are living or staying temporarily. It may also help to chat to the locals to see how they have felt about local services, and possibly ring the GP practices to see if they have GPs with a specialist interest in inflammatory arthritis and similar conditions.

Hospital services in Newcastle

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (yes, it’s a bit of a mouthful) runs the hospital rheumatology services in Newcastle.
They offer a Rheumatology Advice Line: 0191 213 7967
Like many regions there are still disruptions to services due to Covid-19. It’s possible some clinics may now be telephone appointments, reserving the face-to-face clinics they have for more urgent issues and new patients.
They encourage people under their care to use the advice line if they require phone advice or feel they need to be seen by somebody. Should you have difficulties getting through to a helpline, it may be an option to call the Rheumatology secretaries, as they may be able to forward a message to your team.
For the most up-to-date information about rheumatology services at Newcastle hospitals, go to this page.

Transition from children’s to adult care

If you’ve grown up in Newcastle, you may well have received care at The Great North Children’s Hospital at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in the city centre.
The Trust has introduced a ‘transitional care service’ where young people are seen jointly by the paediatric and adult teams. Your care will be transferred to a rheumatologist who deals with adult patients.
Transferring from paediatric care to adult care can be challenging as the way services are delivered to adults are different from the way they are delivered to children. Transitional care will prepare you and your parents or caregivers for the differences between child and adult services and how to negotiate them. They will also help you to understand your own healthcare and learn how to manage your condition independently as you become an adult.
The adult rheumatology service is based at the Musculo Skeletal Unit at the Freeman Hospital
For more information about transitional care, go to this page.

Early arthritis clinic

Newcastle’s early arthritis clinic is also based at the Freeman Hospital.
This clinic is designed to rapidly assess patients who have recently begun experiencing symptoms and are suspected of having inflammatory arthritis. They aim to see patients within two weeks of being referred.
So, if you have started experiencing symptoms and you suspect it could be inflammatory arthritis, you need to ask your GP to refer you to this clinic.
For more information about the early arthritis clinic, including a GP referral form, go to this page.

Arthur’s Place links

What is arthritis?
Early diagnosis checklist
Arthritis FAQs
A guide to arthritis treatments