Award for Royal Berkshire Hospital rheumatologist Antoni
ACONSULTANT Rheumatologist at the Royal Berkshire Hospital is celebrating after winning a top honour – after being nominated by his patients.
Dr Antoni Chan received the award for ‘Best Care by a Rheumatologist’ from the National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society (NASS) at a special ceremony last month.
Voted for by patients, the Patients’ Choice Awards recognise those health professionals who have gone above and beyond to help people with axial spondyloarthritis including ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
AS is a painful progressive form of inflammatory arthritis affecting 1 in 200 adults, with symptoms usually starting by the age of 24. The current average delay to diagnosis for AS in the UK is eight-and-a-half years.
Patients spoke highly of the outstanding care Dr Chan provides. Citations included: “He is fantastic, nothing is ever too much trouble. He goes above and beyond his role”.
Another noted: “He has transformed my life. Before my diagnosis I was a triathlete and extremely passionate about fitness. Dr Chan has shown utter professionalism, incredible empathy and support.” And a third said: “Dr Chan is an inspiration”. On receiving the award Dr Chan said: “I am honoured to receive this award from NASS. It is very meaningful coming from patients and I am thankful to have been nominated.
“I have been running specialist rheumatology clinics at the Royal Berkshire with my team and it is a privilege to be acknowledged.”
Dr Dale Webb, NASS Chief Executive, said: “NASS is proud to celebrate those clinicians who go that extra mile and make a big impact on people’s health and well-being. Dr Chan’s award is a great example of this.”
The award was presented at the Houses of Parliament on Monday, December 3, to coincide with the launch of NASS’ new campaign Every Patient, Every Time.
At the event, NASS announced the formation of a new All-Party Parliamentary Group to ensure national oversight of the implementation of a new Quality Standard and Guidelines for Spondyloarthritis published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
It was a busy night: NASS also launched Aspiring to Excellence, which will create a UK-wide network of rheumatology services that are working together to achieve the highest level of care for their AS patients.
Every Patient, Every Time will work to ensure that every patient receives timely diagnosis and the care that they need.