Group News

We are pleased to announce the guest speaker for the Birmingham North NRAS Group meeting on 1st May will be Kanta Kumar, a rheumatology Nurse Specialist.

Tuesday 1st May (Sutton Coldfield) 12.30-2.30pm

Sutton Coldfield Meetings are held at:

Sutton Coldfield Methodist Church 16 South Parade Sutton Coldfield B72 1QY.

Anyone using a Satnav to find the venue will have to use the B72 1RB postcode as there is a barrier to traffic at one end of the road.

Sutton Coldfield train station is close by and information on buses serving the area can be found Here (opens in new window)

We look forward to welcoming new members

The Heart of England (Solihull) NRAS group meeting dates for 2012 have been announced. They will take place on the third Thursday of every other month at Broomfield Hall, Union Road, Solihull B91 3DH (The British Legion) unless otherwise stated.

This is located opposite the rear entrance to Solihull Hospital and is a more spacious venue with better parking and access.

Website updated to correct the start time for the meetings held at Sutton Coldfield to 12.30

We are pleased to announce the meeting dates for the new NRAS Group meetings to be held in Kings Heath. Please note the new venue for our 2012 meetings They will take place on the following dates.

Thursday 19th April (Kings Heath) 6-8pm

Thursday 21st June (Kings Heath) 6-8pm

Thursday 16th August (Kings Heath) 6-8pm

Thursday 18th October (Kings Heath) 6-8pm

Thursday 6th December (Kings Heath) 6-8pm

Kings Heath Meetings will now be held at

All Saints Centre 2 Vicarage Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7RA

Buses serving the area can be found Here (opens in new window)

Details of speakers etc for these meetings will be added to our calender page once they have been confirmed.

We look forward to welcoming new members

We are pleased to announce the meeting dates for the new NRAS Group meetings to be held in Sutton Coldfield They will take place on the following dates.

Tuesday 6th March (Sutton Coldfield) OPEN DAY AND LAUNCH 12.30-3pm

Tuesday 1st May (Sutton Coldfield) 12.30-3pm

Tuesday 3rd July (Sutton Coldfield) 12.30-3pm

Tuesday 4th September (Sutton Coldfield) 12.30-3pm

Tuesday 6th November (Sutton Coldfield) 12.30-3pm

Sutton Coldfield Meetings are held at:

Sutton Coldfield Methodist Church 16 South Parade Sutton Coldfield B72 1QY.

Anyone using a Satnav to find the venue will have to use the B72 1RB postcode as there is a barrier to traffic at one end of the road.

Sutton Coldfield train station is close by and information on buses serving the area can be found Here (opens in new window)

Details of speakers etc for these meetings will be added to our calender page once they have been confirmed.

We look forward to welcoming new members

Sorry to announce that due to unforeseen circumstances the group meeting planned for 15th December has been cancelled. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

After a number of enquiries we're looking into starting group meetings on the north side of Birmingham. These plans are still in the very early stages, but check back here for the latest updates. We are looking to March/April next year for the North group to launch.

The group will continue to run the current meetings in South Birmingham.

More news when we have it.

An additional meeting will be held jointly with the Solihull NRAS group on September 1st 2011 between 6.30-8.30pm at Broomfield Hall, Union Rd, Solihull, B91 3DH.

The guest speaker is Jamie Hewitt who is the Government Affairs Manager at NRAS

This special meeting will be covering the very important issues of the planned government reforms to the Health Bill and also the Welfare Reforms Bill.

Both of these will have a huge impact on people with RA and many other long term conditions.

Please come along and ensure you can have your voice heard!

Birmingham ARMA meeting will take place on Wednesday 6 July 2011 at King Edwards Girls' School, Edgbaston from 12:30 to 14:30. All welcome.

NRAS have released a new report. 2009 was designated the Year of RA by NRAS and they have produced a report entiled The Year of RA: One Year on. You can find more information on the report by clicking HERE or for a direct download of the report in PDF format please click HERE

Members of NRAS Birmingham and Solihull groups will be attending the Patient Support Group Day which is being held in the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham on March 10th 2011

The event will take place on the 10^th of March in the Atrium at the New QEH, and will run from 10.00 – 3.00.

NRAS will be holding a celebrity T shirt auction starting on March 3rd so you can bid on tshirts and running vests signed by a number of celebrities. The auction will run for 10 days.

Full details can be found on the NRAS website which you can find here

The Leicester NRAS group will launch on Wednesday 20th April 2011 at 7pm (finish time 9pm) The venue will be Braunstone Civic Centre, Kingsway, Braunstone Town, Leicester LE3 2PP.

The group have also opened a blog page with more information which you can find HERE

The Heart of England (Solihull) NRAS group have announced a new venue and meeting dates for 2011. They will take place on the third Thursday of every other month from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at Broomfield Hall, Union Road, Solihull B91 3DH (The British Legion) unless otherwise stated.

This is located opposite the rear entrance to Solihull Hospital and is a more spacious venue with better parking and access.

We now have a limited number of copies of the newly updated RAise it with your doctor booklet.This booklet aims to provide information and practical advice to help you understand and communicate the physical and emotional impact of your RA to healthcare professionals, loved ones and colleagues.

You can pick up a copy from our group meetings, or directly from NRAS, you can also download a PDF version to your computer. For more information and for the link to download the file head over to the NRAS page for this booklet.

We would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and and a Happy 2011. Next year sees NRAS's 10th Birthday and we're hoping to arrange a number of events to celebrate. I hope we can continue to grow the group and look forward to welcoming all members new and old back next year.

An EDM (Early Day Motion) was tabled at the House of Commons on World Arthritis Day and by 2pm that day already had eight signatures. You can view more information on the EDM by clicking HERE

You can help by getting your MP involved; it is easier than you think ... and hopefully interesting and rewarding. You could write a letter to your local MP telling them about your personal experience of rheumatoid arthritis and asking them to support you and the work of NRAS by becoming a Parliamentary Friend of NRAS. You could request a meeting to see your MP in the House of Commons or visit them at their constituency surgery to encourage them to support our campaign for better services.

Don’t forget, ask your MP to sign EDM 795

The Worcester NRAS Group meetings take place bi monthly on Wednesdays between 6.30pm - 8.30pm at the Lyppard Grange Community Centre in Ankerage Green. The next meeting is on Wednesday 10th November 2010. Nurse Specialist Julie Cahill is attending for the last half an hour for a question and answer session on Methorexate.

This well established group meets every month at Russells Hall Hospital from 1.30pm to 3.30pmon the first Thursday of every month.

The group meets at the Waiting room, Clinical Research, North Wing, Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley DY1 2HQ.

Many people who are using biological treatments (Anti TNF) for treatment of their RA will often have their medication delivered by Healthcare at Home. They have now introduced a new page on their website where you can get more information about your delivery.

The delivery details page allows you to put in your account number and will give you improved information on the time of your scheduled delivery.

The Equip website contains health and social care information and only links to sites who's quality of information has been verified. It also contains a directory of over 4000 national and local support groups and services which are checked regularly and also has an events section, with awareness days, local group meetings and other useful information. The remaining meetings of both the Birmingham and Heart of England (Solihull) NRAS groups have been accepted and appear in the events section.

The new NRAS group based in Weston super Mare meet at the Campus, Highlands Lane, Weston super Mare BS24 7DX.

The next meeting takes place on the 29th September, between 6.30 - 8pm for more information check out the groups Facebook Page This is an informal friendly meeting for anyone living with RA, their family or carers.

The next NRAS Heart of England (Solihull) Group meeting will take place on September 30th between 6.30pm and 8.30pm held at the Oliver Bird Hall, Church Hill Road, Solihull, B91 3RQ.

The guest speaker will be Linda Webber who will be talking about the Trace RA National Clinical Trial, exploring the links between taking statins and heart related problems for people with RA.

For all those with eBay accounts -

eBay are running a campaign this month whereby the charities with the most 'favourite' votes will win up to £5,000 to carry on supporting their cause. Please click here and click on 'Find your Favourite' - you can search for 'NRAS' and then select NRAS as your favourite charity!

Medical news today, an excellent source of the latest news on many studies and research into the world of medicine have launched a new section on Rheumatoid Arthritis. Featuring statistics, and information about the condition can be found HERE

NRAS have their final Workwise Workshops of the year coming up, and I can highly recommend them. I attended the Birmingham one and found it extremely informative and I came away with some excellent advice and a better insight into what help is available for people with long term conditions in the workplace.

The next two events are in Reading on Tuesday 28th September 2010 and in London on the 6th October 2010.

The next NRAS Heart of England (Solihull) Group meeting will take place on September 30th between 6.30pm and 8.30pm held at the Oliver Bird Hall, Church Hill Road, Solihull, B91 3RQ.

The next Birmingham ARMA meeting will take place on Wednesday 8 September 2010 at King Edwards Girls' School, Edgbaston from 12:30 pm. Below are the dates for the remaining meetings for this year.

8 September 2010
17 November 2010

The highly successful NRAS Workwise Workshops have two remaining workshops looking at work and employment issues facing people living with RA will be held in September and October. There are still some places available on Sept 28th for the Reading workshop and on Oct 6th for the London (South East) workshop. click here for more information.

Increasing demand for more NRAS local support groups means that there are numerous new groups launching across the UK during the next few months including including Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire; Swansea, South Wales; Chertsey, Surrey; Luton, Bedfordshire; South East London (Lewisham district) and others that have recently launched have their first meetings coming up soon in Bournemouth, Blackpool, Taunton and Romford.

Our next meeting will take place 26th August 6pm- 8pm with guest speaker Sean McIntosh on fitness and wellbeing

For more details on the venue, and guest speaker information please take a look at our Calender page. We look forward to welcoming everyone and hope to see you soon.

I'm sorry to report to members that FunkyArthur has closed down. Angela was really kind to attend the Birmingham groups last meeting and demonstrate some of the good she sold. I'm sure I speak for all the members in wishing Angela and her family all the best for the future and that Arthur stays quiet.

The next NRAS Heart of England (Solihull) Group meeting will take place on July 22nd between 6.30pm and 8.30pm held at the Oliver Bird Hall, Church Hill Road, Solihull, B91 3RQ.

The guest speaker will be Clive Taylor from DoAbility who supply all kinds of equipment to make life easier.

NRAS Wristbands are now available from the NRAS office. Emma has posted the following over on the NRAS Facebook page this afternoon.

To celebrate reaching 1000 members on Facebook, and to help us raise awareness of RA, please donate £1 via the website and we will put a wristband in the post for you! .... If you would like to buy more than one wristband, maybe to give to family/friends or sell to colleagues please get in touch with us by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Thank you! I look forward to sending out lots of wristbands in the post! Click below to donate your pound!

The next meeting of the HoE (Solihull) NRAS group will take place on Thusday 27th May 2010 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm at the Oliver Bird Hall, Church Hill Road, Solihull, B91 3RQ.

The next Birmingham ARMA meeting will take place on Wednesday 19 May 2010 at King Edwards Girls' School, Edgbaston from 12:30 pm. Below are the dates for the remaining meetings for this year.

7 July 2010
8 September 2010
17 November 2010

FunkyArthur is a mail order company established in 2008 by Angela Lown, after she became frustrated at the lack of attractive arthritis aids available on the market. Click on the link to find out more or to browse the online store FunkyArthur.

The next group meeting, will take place on Thursday 25th March 2010 between 6.30pm and 8.30pm at the Oliver Bird Hall, Church Hill Road, Solihull, B91 3RQ

The Guest speakers for this meeting will be from Solihull Volkswagen and will give a talk on the Motability Scheme, how to apply, and other aspects of driving with RA.

The next BARMA meeting of 2010 will take place on Wednesday 17th March 2010. The meeting will take place at King Edward's Girls' School from 12:30 to 15:00.

BARMA is a local group of the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance with the aim of Monitoring local service provision, Identifying and campaigning on local service issues using the ARMA Standards of Care and other policy initiatives. Providing a shared forum for service users, providers and planners.

New members always welcome.

The UK Parliament Public Accounts Committe has been meeting for several months over the provision of services for people with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) The report has now been published. You can find a press release for the report HERE and the full report is available in PDF format HERE.

The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) have responded to the report and you can find the response in word PDF format HERE

We have now confirmed the new venue and dates for our 2010 meetings, They will now take place at The Hub, Hazelwell near Kings Heath. The meetings will also be moved to an early evening slot as we hope to be able to be more accessible to people with RA. The meeting dates are as follows.

22nd April 6pm- 8pm

24th June 6pm- 8pm

26th August 6pm- 8pm

28th October 6pm- 8pm

16th December 6pm- 8pm

For more details on the venue, and guest speaker information please take a look at our Calender page. We look forward to welcoming everyone and hope to see you soon.

NRAS member Liz Buckley and her daughter Sophie are taking part in the London 2010 Bupa 10,000kms to raise money for the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society. Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful, chronic auto-immune disease causing inflammation, swelling and fatigue. It is very different from osteoarthritis, please see the very informative NRAS website if you would like to learn more.

Every donation will help NRAS continue their work providing advice, information and support to people affected by rheumatoid arthritis, as well as raising awareness and campaigning for better services and treatments.

A fellow NRAS member has set up a short survey concerning RA and your perception of it. I know Helly would be extremely grateful if a few more people could take part in the survey which she aims to use to help raise awareness of the condition.

NRAS are running a series of employment workshops for people living with RA. The evening workshops will give you the opportunity to:

* Listen to experts on employment law and occupational therapy

* Find out about what disability law means for you

* Find out some useful everyday tips for dealing with juggling managing your RA and your career!

For more information, details of workshops in other areas, and to download the registration form head over to the NRAS Workwise Workshops page of the main NRAS website.

On Sunday, 17th January, tune to into BBC Radio 4 to hear the Charity Appeal on behalf of NRAS. Actress Juliette Kaplan, who plays Pearl in Last of the Summer Wine, has recorded the appeal for NRAS. Juliette has rheumatoid arthritis herself.

The appeal will go out at 7.55am, and will be repeated at 21.26 on Sunday and again at 15.27 on Thursday next week. Radio 4 is on FM 92.4-94.6 or if you miss it you will be able to listen at www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/appeal.

The more people that listen to the appeal, the greater the awareness of rheumatoid arthritis will be, so anything you can do to spread the word to friends, family, neighbours, colleagues and anyone else you can think of would be appreciated.

NRAS and a number of other leading charities for people with long term conditions are currently waiting for the results of the government review on free prescriptions. You can find more information about the campaign and what you can do to help at the NRAS Free Prescription Campaign page, or alternatively visit Prescription Promise site. The campaign also has a presence on Facebook.

The cost of the medication for long term conditions can be prohibitive to many, and your support on this issue would have a huge positive impact.

The first BARMA meeting of 2010 will take place on Wednesday 20 January 2010. The meeting will take place at King Edward's Girls' School from 12:30 to 15:00.

BARMA is a local group of the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance with the aim of Monitoring local service provision, Identifying and campaigning on local service issues using the ARMA Standards of Care and other policy initiatives. Providing a shared forum for service users, providers and planners.

New members always welcome.

The NRAS Heart of England Group have now announced the venue and dates for their 2010 meetings.

The meetings will take place at the Oliver Bird Hall, Church Hill Road, Solihull, B91 3RQ

Please note that the disabled access is off the driveway past the main hall entrance steps. A pathway takes you alongside the building and a level entrance is available through double doors.

Beverley & Joanne would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year. We look forward to seeing you during 2010.

The group would like to wish all of it's members a very happy safe and pain free Christmas.

The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society have launched their new look website. The new site hopes to make navigation easier and has the information split into sections for easier access.

After the report during the summer from the National Audit Office on the state of RA treatment in the UK there have been a number of meetings held at Westminster on improving awareness not only in the general public, but also with GP's. The most recent meeting which took place on the 23rd November featured on the BBC Parliament channel and is available to view on the BBC iPlayer until 8:04pm Sunday 6th December 2009.

The Birmingham ARMA Group has it's next meeting on Wednesday 18^th November at 12.30 at the King Edwards High School for Girls, Edgbaston Park Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham.

This ARMA Local Network group, brings together patients and patient groups, clinicians and allied health professionals to work towards improving musculoskeletal service provision on a local level.

The date for the first regular group meeting, which had it's inaugural meeting back in July, has now been confirmed.

The meeting will take place on Thursday 26th November at 17.00hrs untill 19.00hrs in the Rheumatology Clinic Waiting room Ward 9 at Solihull Hospital.

The schedule for the 2010 meetings will be posted here as soon as they've been confirmed.

A government green paper has revealed plans to stop paying disability benefits and hand the cash over to social services instead. The Shaping the Future of Care Green Paper published by the DWP and the Department of Health on 14th July sets out government plans to get rid of attendance allowance and, depending on public reaction, also leaves the way clear to end the care component of DLA.

These benefits were introduced so that people with a disability could lead more independent lives, and letting the massively under resourced Social Services to deal with the needs of disabled people would be a disaster.

Group Co-ordinator Joanne completed her Great Rail Race fundraiser for NRAS, after taking a 36 hour train trip around the UK. The level of support has been incredible and I really can't put in to words how generous people have been in this difficult economic climate. A Big thank you have to go to Tracey & Val at NRAS fundraising department, for their help, also thanks to all of the train companies for upgrading my standard tickets to first class.

The first group meeting was held on Wednesday 22nd July and had an extremely good turn out. The opening meeting was exceptionally organised, with all the members of the multi disclipinary team giving a short presentation on their roles in the care of people with RA.

Paul and Clare from NRAS were also there to launch the group, and it was an extremely good response to the work NRAS do, and desire to establish a group in the area. We will update this site with news on the group as and when we get the information.

The British Society of Rheumatologists (BSR) have issued guidelines for people on Anti-TNF treatments regarding the current Swine Flu pandemic.

The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) has today called for a national campaign to improve awareness about Rheumatoid Arthritis so people can seek swift treatment and prevent long term joint damage and disability. This follows the publication of research by the National Audit Office (NAO) that has revealed a very worrying lack of awareness about RA among the public, health professionals and commissioners.

The National Audit Office has painted a gloomy picture of services for people with Rheumatoid Arthritis with it's report released today

The newly announced NRAS "Heart of England" RA Group will have it's launch meeting on Wednesday 22nd July 2009 between 5.15pm and 7.30pm to be held at the Education Centre, Solihull Hospital, Lode Lane, Solihull B91 2JL.

Talks by Dr Robert Palmer & Dr Shirish Subey, Consultant Rheumatologists as well as Clare Jacklin, NRAS Volunteer Network Manager.

We now have a Facebook page, if you have a Facebook account and you'd like to join you can find the group by clicking HERE

I recently discovered a great site called Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy, it is a well written and informative site by someone who has RA. Written in a down to earth way his 60 Second Guide to RA is a great introduction to RA and would be ideal for those newly diagnosed.

You can also follow Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy on Facebook if you have an account there and can find him by clicking HERE

NRAS have released 3 new informative booklets for people with RA. Copies will be available at all group meetings.

Since the launch of NRAS in 2001, supporting education and the benefits of proactive self management, has been a priority. However, until now, there has not been a self management programme available tailored to the specific needs of people with rheumatoid arthritis as against ‘all forms’ of arthritis or long term conditions.

For the past few months the Birmingham ARMA group have been attending meetings for the Rheumatology Pathway redesign, South Birmingham PCT has identified a programme of service redesign as part of its commissioning strategy with the aim of offering more choice, convenience and appropriate care for the population of South Birmingham.

Rheumatology is one of the pathways identified to review by Practice-based commissioners with a view to develop a new pathway of care which offers more primary and community based care.
Some of our members may already have completed a questionnaire requesting views of patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis regarding when, where, how and by whom they are treated, the results of which should be available by the end of March 2009.

The 7th draft of this Rheumatology pathway redesign is by no means set in tablets of stone!

Birmingham ARMA have invited members of the support group to attend a forthcoming meeting

In order that you as members of B.A.R.M.A. and B.R.A.S.G have a chance to put your views forward and ask questions, they have invited Dr. Barbara King who is chair of our committee and Ruth Denton, the commissioning manager for pathway redesign (South Birmingham P.C.T.) to a special meeting of B.A.R.M.A. on Wednesday 11th March at King Edward High School to commence at 13:00HRS.

This is our chance as patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis to make a difference to the pathway of treatment -

Anyone who would like to attend is more than welcome, as the more that turn up, the more input we can have into the future of Rheumatology services in this area.

Thank you for your time and I hope some of you can attend. If you require any further information about the meeting or Birmingham ARMA, please drop me a mail.

Best wishes

Joanne

We would like to wish everyone a very happy Christmas, and a happy and pain free 2009. Thank you for your support of the group, and I hope we can have a bigger better group in 2009.

24 November 2008 – The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has today announced that it will take a fresh look at the evidence for the sequential use of Anti-TNF drugs following a successful appeal from the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) and other organisations.

40,000 people with Rheumatoid Arthritis to be denied access to life changing drugs

21 July 2008 - The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) has reacted angrily to today’s Final Appraisal Document (FAD) issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). This decision will deny approximately 60,000 people with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) access to a range of Anti-TNF drugs and could leave them facing high levels of pain, the possibility of more surgery and long term disability

Many of you will be aware that Lord Darzi, Under Secretary of State for Health, has been conducting a major and wide ranging review into the NHS over the past 12 months and NRAS have contributed to this review to represent the views of people with RA

New NRAS Booklets: Employment

NRAS have released two new booklets regarding R.A in the workplace.

Your employment and rheumatoid arthritis

Many people with RA face problems at work, but the good news is that they can often be overcome. Find answers to frequently asked questions here, and for more details ask for your copy of I want to work.

You can get more information on this booklet here

When an employee has rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) often begins when people are in the prime of their working lives, which can be difficult both for them and their employers. But the good news is that there are ways to minimise the effects of RA and help employers retain valued staff members.

Find the answers to employers’ frequently asked questions here. For more information, ask for your copy of When an employee has rheumatoid arthritis - a guide for employers

You can get more information on this booklet here

New NRAS Booklet: Explaining Your Symptoms

NRAS have released a new booklet which has been developed especially for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of the guide is to help you explain the problems you may be experiencing and enable you to talk about your feelings during consultations with your rheumatologist or nurse.

You can get more information at the following link.

Prescription Petition

NRAS are currently encouraging people to sign a petition to the government to enable people with R.A to get free prescriptions.

You can sign the petition by going to the following link

NRAS is a private company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales No: 7127101 Charity Nos: 1134859 SC039721

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Birmingham Area NRAS Groups

Local groups of the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS)

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