New unit to help arthritis patients

ARTHRITIS patients in Glasgow will be able to get treatment without being admitted to hospital with the opening of a new day unit. MSP Wendy Alexander officially opened the Rheumatology Day Unit at the Southern General Hospital yesterday. More than half of the patients treated at the centre are expected to be under 50 with treatment designed to cause minimum interference in their daily lives. Ms Alexander, who is expecting twins in February, said the unit would make a huge difference to people's lives. She said: "The new Rheumatology Day Unit will make a real difference in the lives of hundreds of people. "Hundreds of sufferers will now be able to have the best of treatment without having to stay in hospital. That in turn means they can hold down jobs and bring up families. "It's been a real team effort to make this vision a reality and I think it's a fantastic example of what can happen when people pull together." Despite the perception that arthritis is an older people's disease, many sufferers are actually younger people and the average age for onset is about 40. Around £15,000 of the cash for the project was raised by the public and one former patient Kathleen Donaldson left several thousand pounds in her will to the unit. Mrs Donaldson's nephew, Robert Bruce, attended the opening ceremony. He said: "I can't tell you how glad we are that the new unit is coming to fruition today, and how proud we are that my aunt, who suffered greatly from arthritis could make such a difference. "As a family, we know the quality of care at the Southern General is excellent, and we hope very much that the new unit will help make it even better."