In April 2025 we were delighted to award our second round of Changemakers to health care professional working to reduce the time to diagnosis in axial SpA. The ceremony was held in the Houses of Parliament, and was hosted by Mark Ferguson MP.
The awards are specifically linked to the Act on Axial SpA; Gold Standard Time to Diagnosis work and campaign, and come in four levels:
The winners included health care professionals from around the UK, practicing in a number of fields including rheumatology, physiotherapy, ophthalmology, gastroenterology, radiology and chiropractic. The breadth of professional roles covered is testament to the fantastic way that so may have got behind the campaign, and how it has touched so many people, making them determined to play their part.
Dr Timothy Bray is a Consultant Radiologist and Honorary Clinical Lecturer working in University College London Hospital and University College London. He has lead on the development of a scientific journal paper on MRI in axial SpA and engaged with stakeholders in developing strategies to raise the profile of MRI in the UK. He delivers axials SpA specific teaching on MRI interpretation, presents at national conferences and has written for NASS policy documents and magazines which are widely disseminated across the UK. His collaboration with NASS and research has been to target professionals who may have low awareness of axial SpA, in particular Radiologists and Imaging Scientists. He continues to conduct significant amounts of research on MRI and axial SpA.
Will Gregory is a Consultant Physiotherapist working at Salford Royal Hospital, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust. He carries out regular education modules at Salford University and Manchester Metropolitan University as well as delivering multiple education sessions for primary and secondary care health care professionals regionally, nationally and internationally. He has been key in launching the axial SpA screening clinic and has demonstrated a significant reduction in waiting times. He has linked with Gastroenterology and Dermatology colleagues to develop a referral pathway to the axial SpA screening clinic and delivers training in-house training to those departments on it. His service regularly collects patient feedback both with their ongoing interventions as well as service developments they have made.
He sits on the board that commissions the National Early Inflammatory Athritis Audit (NEIAA), having regular contact with the national lead for the audit and has helped to influence improvement in the inclusion of axial SpA data points.
Professor Helena Marzo-Ortega is a Consultant Rheumatologist and Honorary Professor of Clinical Translational Rheumatology working in Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Leeds. She is a world leader in axial SpA, lecturing at national and international meetings on unmet needs such as the ongoing diagnostic delay, and need to understand impact of biologic differences between males and females with axial SpA.
She participates regularly on teaching sessions for registrars and nurses at a regional level. She set up the Leeds Spondyloarthritis Academy, which runs bespoke meetings for health professionals from all over the world. She established the highly successful international Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) Core Course, providing advanced teaching for rheumatologists worldwide. She is a member of several working parties within ASAS, European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR), British Society for Rheumatology (BSR), and was convenor and lead for British Scoiety for Spondyloarthritis (BRITSpA) and British Society for Musculoskeletal Radiology recommendations for acquisition and interpretation of MRI of the spine and sacroiliac joints in the diagnosis of axial SpA in the UK. She is the clinical investigator for the BAxSIC study, a study of newly diagnosed axial SpA patients, which aims to decrease the time to diagnosis.
Professor Marzo Ortega has been a powerful advocate for women with axial SpA.
Kirsty Anderson is a NASS Champion in Primary Care working as an Advanced Practice Physiotherapist (APP) in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde. Kirsty has collaborated for axial SpA to be mandatory training for physiotherapists within her Health Board, as well as delivering multiple educational presentations. Her work to improve education for Rheumatology on the APP role in Primary Care, resulted in the agreement of a direct pathway from APP to Rheumatology, aligning them with the rest of Scotland. Data demonstrates more appropriate and timely referrals, thereby achieving the aim of the Act on Axial SpA campaign.
Matt Barks is a chiropractor and Advanced MSK Practitioner working in Westhill Chiropractic Clinic, North West Clinical Assessment and Treatment Service. He has organised a national two part educational webinar with the Royal College of Chiropractors and developed links between NASS and universities to deliver education sessions. He has promoted the symptom checker throughout NHS Grampian and provided posters to local osteopaths, GPs, physios and chiropractic clinics. He has developed relationships with the NHS Grampian lead Rheumatologist and gained approval for providing axial SpA education sessions to local healthcare professionals including Podiatrists.
Dr Geraint Brown is a Consultant Rheumatologist working in East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust. He has established an axial SpA clinic and has carried out multiple presentations and education sessions across the Trust. He has developed a peer to peer network with the community Physiotherapists, inviting them to sit in his axial SpA clinic to educate and increase their awareness to potential axial SpA symptoms when assessing patients with back pain. He works closely with his MSK Radiologists including holding a weekly multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings alongside the community physiotherapy team, as well as collaborating with colleagues in Gastroenterology and Dermatology.
Dr Marian Chan is a Consultant Rheumatologist working in Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She has carried out multiple education sessions across the locality including patient groups, primary care, secondary care spinal MDT, medical students and private Physiotherapy providers. She is working with the local primary care networks to embed and pilot a pop-up tool for inflammatory back pain. She works with Gastroenterology to discuss patient treatment changes in addition to joint Dermatology and Rheumatology clinics. She is an active participant of Spinal MDT working with other healthcare professionals to diagnose axial SpA.
Dr Claire Charlesworth is a NASS Champion in Primary Care and GP working in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Primary Care Trust. She has delivered multiple education sessions across the primary care network and presented at local and national conferences. She has made links with a national GP training platform with regard to axial SpA training.
Steph Cliffe is a NASS Champion in Primary Care working as an MSK and Rheumatology Advanced Practice Physiotherapist in Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. She co-lead on sending the NASS symptom checker being sent to patients with back pain, aged 18-50 years who had been referred into Community MSK Service. She has delivered multiple Axial SpA presentations to primary care across a locality and within her local network as well making changes to the community Physiotherapy initial assessment form to include inflammatory back pain prompts.
Jenny Elkins is a NASS Champion in Primary Care, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist and FCP working in Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. She has delivered multiple education sessions at local, regional and national level to improve awareness and recognition of Axial SpA, and when to refer appropriately. She advocated for adoption of the NASS time to diagnosis audit both within her local health board and across Wales. She has linked in with development of the Community Health Pathways and contributed to national policy in Wales regarding the axial SpA pathway.
Dr Jane Freeston is a Consultant Rheumatologist working in Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. She has been key in designing, analysing and promoting the NASS time to diagnosis audit. Jane has also worked to set up an MDT meeting across the region and a new electronic data capture system for recording diagnostic and disease activity variables in SpA. She has been part of an analysis of the entire referral pathway from GP through to a patient being given a diagnosis of SpA, helping to reduce waiting times.
Dr Nima Ghadiri is a Consultant Medical Ophthalmologist working in Liverpool University Hospital HNS Foundation Trust and University of Liverpool. He has worked as a clinical advisor on the Act on Axial SpA campaign, focussing on uveitis, as a guest on the podcast Rheum for Improvement and presenting locally, nationally and internationally. He has developed an interactive training module on those who are HLA-B27 positive with uveitis to increase awareness. He has audited local uveitis patients presenting with back pain.
Dr Tania Gudu is a Consultant Rheumatologist working in Ipswich Hospital, East Suffolk & North Essex Foundation Trust. She received a bronze award last year for her axial SpA service and has built on this work to achieve her silver award. She is leading the monthly MDTs with spine Advanced Health Practitioners, as well as ophthalmology and dermatology. She also runs ad-hoc clinics with Dermatology for complex patients. She has established an informal pathway with the gastroenterology team and advised on referral criteria. She is currently the Digital Lead for Rheumatology and is working on developing standardized electronic referral forms for secondary care.
Heather Harrison is a Rheumatology Advanced Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist working in York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She has presented at multiple education sessions across primary care and secondary care, as well as private practice, and is involved in regular education sessions for physiotherapists. She has promoted the symptom checker throughout the Trust and liaised with the Gastroenterology, Dermatology and Ophthalmology departments to display axial SpA posters. In 2024 she raised awareness of axial SpA on Scarborough seafront with the local branch.
Lucy McCann is a NASS Champion in Primary Care working as an Advanced practice physiotherapist and FCP in South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust, and Arden Primary Care Network. She has delivered education sessions locally and nationally, as well as developed an axial SpA GP referral form template for primary care referral as part of Ax SpA pathway.
Karen Morley-Williams is a NASS Champion in Primary Care working as a Spinal and Rheumatology Advanced Practice Physiotherapist in Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. She has audited the use of the NASS symptom checker to evaluate engagement and utilisation within the Trust. She has been involved in the development of an internal pathway within Community MSK Service to escalate care from physiotherapists to Rheumatology via a specialist Advanced Practice Physiotherapist (APP).
Chad Critchley is an Advanced Rheumatology Practitioner working in Rochdale Infirmary, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust. His work includes promoting the NASS symptom checker within local healthcare settings and the community. He regularly delivers education sessions to primary care colleagues and has presented to Gastroenterologists.
Gillian Lawrence is an Advanced Clinical Physiotherapist and Clinical Lead First Contact Practitioner Supervisor working with Primary Care Physio in East and Central Lancashire. Across her network of 50 primary care practices, she has embedded a template to identify inflammatory back pain in local systems, as well as shared symptom checker posters. She has also shared the template with rheumatology physiotherapists, delivered education sessions and has carried out a local audit on those referred to rheumatology with suspected axial SpA and the outcome of their diagnosis.
Harriet Goodison works as a First Contact Practitioner (FCP) for Primary Care Physio in Huddersfield. She has held a locality meeting bringing together primary and secondary care colleagues to strengthen links and communication around the axial SpA pathway and how it can be improved and continues to work on this. She has presented nationally to over 100 FCPs and promoted the symptom checker in three primary care networks.
Dr Christian Sellinger is a Consultant Gastroenterologist working in Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. He worked on a review of awareness of axial SpA amongst Gastroenterologists in the UK, as well as contributed to the work that NASS did on recognising axial SpA in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and educational sessions to Gastroenterology colleagues on recognising inflammatory back in pain in those with IBD.
Katie Stables is a Rheumatology Specialist Physiotherapist working in Rochdale Care Organisation, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust. She helps patients to complete the NASS time to diagnosis audit when they are newly diagnosed as well as collecting data locally to help with local service review and provision against the national targets. She delivers regular training sessions to primary care and developed stronger links with referrers, increasing the use of advice and guidance by GPs.
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The team has delivered multiple education sessions within the Trust to Rheumatology, Primary Care, and Physiotherapists both within the NHS and in private practice. They have dedicated axial SpA clinics and complete the NASS time to diagnosis audit with patients at time of their appointment if appropriate. They have a dedicated axial SpA waiting list which is monitored to ensure timely diagnosis and management of patients. They have developed and embedded a suspected inflammatory back pain pop up tool to be used by all Physiotherapists reviewing patients with back pain.
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
The team actively promotes the NASS symptom checker to primary, secondary and community care colleagues. They have run multiple educational events linked to RheumACaN (Rheumatology Academy and Collaborative Network). They also run regular educations sessions Primary and Community Care colleagues in the Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire Integrated Care System. They are involved in quarterly MDT meeting and clinics with Gastroenterology, Dermatology and Ophthalmology where axial SpA education sessions are held using case studies for discussion and learning. They have actively submitted data to the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit and NASS time to diagnosis audit.
Congratulations to all of the winners and thank you for all you are doing to improve diagnosis times for the future generations.
For information, advice and to join a community of people who live with the condition visit the NASS website. Or visit our helpline.
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