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- Accident and Emergency Department
- Acute Medicine
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- Behçet’s Syndrome National Centre of Excellence
- Bereavement Services
- Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre
- Blood tests
- Bowel Cancer Screening
- Breast Screening
- Breast Unit
- Cancer Services
- Cancer Support Services
- Cardiology
- Children’s Community Nursing
- Clinical Toxicology
- Community Rehabilitation Facilities
- Community Ward D43
- Connected Palliative Care
- Critical Care
- Dermatology
- Diabetes
- Ear, nose and throat
- Elderly Care
- Endoscopy
- Female Genital Mutilation Service
- FINCH Service
- Gastroenterology
- General Surgery
- Gynaecological cancer
- Gynaecological Cancer – Genetic Testing
- Gynaecology
- Health Visiting
- Homeless Team
- Imaging
- Immunology and allergy
- Infection Control
- Integrated Care Services (iCares)
- Lung Health Checks
- Maternity
- Neonatal Unit
- Neurology
- Neurophysiology
- Nuclear Medicine
- Nutrition and Dietetics
- Orthotics
- Paediatric Allergy Service
- Paediatrics
- Pain Management
- Pathology
- Pharmacy
- Plastic Surgery
- Post-Menopausal Bleeding Clinic
- Research & Development (R&D)
- Respiratory
- Respiratory Physiology
- Rheumatology
- Sandwell Sexual Health Services
- Sickle Cell & Thalassaemia
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Stroke Care
- Transition and Young People
- Trauma and Orthopaedics
- Urology
- Vascular Day Surgery
- Virtual Wards
- Volunteer Service
Behçet’s Syndrome National Centre of Excellence
Behçet’s syndrome (also known as Behçet’s disease) is a rare chronic auto-inflammatory multisystem disorder of unknown cause. Symptoms include recurrent mouth ulcers, genital ulcers, eye inflammation, joint pain and skin lesions. Most of the symptoms are painful but not life-threatening. They come and go in a series of attacks (‘flare-ups’) throughout life. There is currently no cure for Behçet’s syndrome.
The Birmingham Behçet’s Syndrome National Centre of Excellence is a specialist clinic at the Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre (BMEC), at City Hospital. People with Behçet’s syndrome can be seen by consultants from different specialties on the same day, rather than having to attend different appointments. The core services include rheumatology, ophthalmology and oral medicine; other specialities include neurology, dermatology and gastroenterology.
The centre opened in 2012 and is one of three in the country, with the other two in Liverpool and London. It was funded by NHS Specialised Services Commissioning following a successful bid from the Behçet’s Syndrome Society, in partnership with doctors specialising in the disease from all three centres.
For more information about disabled access for this service, please click here.
Team
Lead Clinician/Consultant Rheumatologist
Dr Deva Situnayake
Professor in Ophthalmology
Professor Philip Murray
Consultant Rheumatologists
Dr Sofia Tosounidou
Dr Priyanka Chandratre
Dr Sangeetha Baskar
Dr Andrew Whallett
Consultants in Oral Medicine
Mr John Hamburger
Miss Andrea Richards
Miss Ana Poveda-Gallego
Mr John Higham
Clinical Psychologist
(Currently recruiting to post)
Lead Nurse/Manager Behcets Centre
Debbie Mitton
Behçet Support Coordinator
Rebecca Hyder
Centre Administrator
Vicky Sewell
Secretary
Diane Staple
Services
Doctors from BMEC, City Hospital and Birmingham Dental Hospital staff the Birmingham Behçet’s Syndrome Centre of Excellence. The core services include rheumatology, ophthalmology and oral medicine, with additional input from specialities such as neurology, dermatology, gynaecology, haematology and gastroenterology. Patients can be seen in one location at the same visit instead of having to attend numerous hospital appointments.
The clinic currently runs every Friday from 8.45am to 1pm and every Thursday between 1.45-5pm.
We also run quarterly paediatric clinics.
The centre aims to:
- allow patients to gain access to diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible
- allow patients to be seen by doctors from different specialities in one visit and have all symptoms managed in one place.
- increase awareness of the syndrome and the centre to the public and also health professionals as most health professionals will only come across a few cases during their careers.
The centre offers:
- One-stop multi-disciplinary clinics
- Clinical consultation with doctors from each specialty
- Referrals to other related specialties if required
- Telephone support from specialist nursing support before, during and after appointments
- Support workers to provide non-medical support, particularly to newly diagnosed patients
Patient Stories
Jan Mather – My Behçet’s syndrome journey
My journey with Behçet’s syndrome probably began as a teenager when I had three or four bouts of tonsillitis each year, accompanied with what seemed like a constant crop of mouth ulcers. After several visits to the GP and dentist I was repeatedly told that mouth ulcers are common and most people get them, but most of my friends had one occasionally not a mouth full most of the time!
Read more here.
Please feel free to share your experiences of this service. Please e-mail your views to swbh.comms@nhs.net.
Patient Information
Useful links
National Behçet’s Syndrome Centres of Excellence
Behçet’s Syndrome Society
Contacts
We welcome enquiries from patients, relatives or healthcare professionals.
Email: behcetsbham@nhs.net
Post:
Dr Situnayake
Consultant Rheumatologist
Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre
City Hospital
Dudley Road
Birmingham
B18 7QH
If you would like to get in contact with any part of BMEC, please dial our central number 0121 507 4440.