Inflammatory Arthritis public awareness campaign

Developed by the Rheumatology Futures Project Group (RFPG) and endorsed and supported by Arthritis Research UK, the Royal College of GPs and The Primary Care Rheumatology Society.

The RFPG are also hoping for Department of Health backing for this campaign which was one of the key recommendations in the National Audit Office Report published in July 2009.

Download Back Poster

Download Hand Poster

Please download these posters and ask your patients to take them to their GP surgery, library, local pharmacy or any other public place or contact Arthritis Research UK and they will send original copies of the poster to individuals and hospitals.

Inflammatory Arthritis? Have you got the ‘S’ Factor?

• Stiffness - Early morning joint stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes
• Swelling - Persistent swelling of one joint or more, especially hand joints
• Squeezing - Squeezing the joints is painful in inflammatory arthritis

The message to the general public is: ‘If you have any symptoms highlighted in the poster which might possibly relate to either rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis, which are the three most common forms of inflammatory arthritis, then seek help from your GP, don’t delay’.

The Rheumatology Futures Project Group (RFPG)

The RFPG is a coalition of patient and professional organisations representing the entire rheumatology community (primary care, secondary care, consultants, GPs, nurses and allied health professionals, patient organisations) and the pharmaceutical industry.

The RFPG was specifically formed in 2007 to develop and execute a collaborative and clearly‐defined programme of work to identify barriers to providing high‐quality rheumatology services for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) across England, and to explore what high quality care should look like and how it could be delivered and was limited to a three year, time limited project which ends summer 2010.

For more information about rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis and the organisations who can help, please see the full campaign on Arthritis Research UK’s website.