Our team includes five specialist doctors called rheumatologists and one doctor in training. Our rheumatologists are: Dr James Bertouch, Dr Arvin Damodaran, Dr Amel Katrib, A/Prof Anthony Sammel and Dr Hugh Caterson.  

We work closely with other medical and surgical services including renal medicine, ophthalmology, dermatology, immunology, respiratory, cardiology, orthopaedic and vascular surgery.

Radiology, nuclear medicine and NSW Health Pathology provide on-site imaging and pathology support for our service.

We work closely with physiotherapy and occupational therapy to provide strengthening and stretching exercises, hand therapy, splints, orthotics and hydrotherapy.

In these clinics, we provide specialist care for all types of rheumatic disease. Some of these are listed above.

We are a specialised service and care for people who have vasculitis. Vasculitis describes a group of uncommon diseases which cause inflamed blood vessels such as:

• Giant cell (temporal) arteritis
• Takayasu arteritis
• Polyarteritis nodosa
• ANCA associated vasculitis
• Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly Wegner Granulomatosis)
• Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly Churg Strauss syndrome)
• Microscopic polyangiitis
• IgA / Henoch Schonlein Purpura
• Connective tissue disease vasculitis
• Drug induced vasculitis
• Infective and post-infective vasculitis
• Cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis
• Behcet and autoinflammatory vasculitis
• IgG4 vasculitis
• Cutaneous vasculitis
• Periaortitis / idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis
• Cogan Syndrome
• Organ limited (CNS, visceral, isolated aortitis).

We work with other hospital specialists and use the latest technology, emerging treatments and offer access to clinical trials.

We care for patients with systemic autoinflammatory diseases (SAIDs). This rare group of diseases may also be called periodic fever syndromes. They occur when your body’s immune system is activated even when there is no infection. Some SAIDs have underlying genetic causes. SAID symptoms include recurrent and unexplained fevers as well as inflammation and pain in the skin, joints, abdomen, chest and eyes. Conditions include:

• Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF)

• Cryopryrin associated periodic syndrome (CAPS)

• Tumour necrosis factor receptor associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS)

• VEXAS syndrome

• Adult onset Stills disease

• PFAPA (Periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and adenitis)

• Mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD)

• Schnitzler Syndrome

• Sweet Syndrome

• Behcet disease

• Idiopathic recurrent pericarditis

• Haploinsufficiency of A20 (HA20)

• Deficiency of ADA2 (DADA2)

• Blau Syndrome

We work with other hospital specialists and use the latest technology, genetic testing, and emerging treatments to diagnose and manage patients with these conditions.

You will need a referral letter from your local general practitioner (GP) or specialty doctor to use this service. Your doctor will need to submit this referral electronically via Healthlink. Your referral will include your medical history, relevant test results, X-ray results and what medicines you are currently taking.

Once we receive this referral and accept it we will send you a letter with your appointment details. We will also send this to your doctor. If we cannot make an appointment for you, we will send you a letter confirming that you are on the waiting list for the next available appointment. If you change your address and/or phone number, please call 02 9382 0400.

If you need to change or cancel your appointment or no longer require an appointment/be on the waitlist, please call 02 9382 0400.

Please bring:

• Your referral letter from your GP if it hasn’t already been faxed
• Any blood test results you have relevant to the problem
• Any medical images and reports relevant to the problem
• Your Medicare card
• A list of your medicines or bring all your medicines in a bag, including any herbal or over the counter product
• You are welcome to bring a support person (a relative, friend or carer) with you.

When you come to our hospital for your appointment, you can check-in using our electronic check-in kiosks. These are located in our Adult Outpatient Department, Acute Services Building (Botany Street), High Street and Barker Street entrances.

You can find more inforamtion on these trusted websites:

https://rheumatology.org.au

https://arthritisaustralia.com.au

https://www.anzvasculitis.org

We are teaching hospital and you may be asked to be involved in research or for a student to be present at your appointment. You have a right to say no. If you do so, this will not impact in any way on the services we will provide.

Please let us know if you need an interpreter before your appointment. You can contact us telephoning the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450. Tell the operator what language you speak and then ask the interpreter to set up a telephone conversation between you, an interpreter, and call our Outpatient Department on 02 9382 0400. 

You will see Professor Kenneth Butcher, our medical specialist, one of our Stroke Nurse Practitioners, or training medical staff. Our doctors will assess, treat and help you manage your risk of stroke or TIA.

Our administration staff will help you make appointments and provide information about what happens at the clinic.

We work in partnership with your local GP, Prince of Wales Hospital and Community Health Services, local pharmacies, and researchers from the University of NSW.

The clinics are held in Neurological Sciences, Level 2, High St Building, Prince of Wales Hospital.  

You can be referred from our Emergency Department, our specialist stroke unit, from your GP or another specialist doctor to use our services. They need to  send a referral to Prof Butcher explaining your medical history, relevant test results and what medicines you are taking.

Once we have your referral we will send you your appointment letter in the post. If you provide your phone number you will receive a phone call 2 days before your appointment. 

If you need to change or cancel your appointment please telephone the clinic on 9382 2414.

If you are admitted to our specialty stroke unit, you will be given one of these on leaving to wear for 4 weeks.

The HeartBug will monitor your heart rhythm. You will be sent a message when this has been activated so that you can record your symptoms on your mobile phone. We will show you how to use this, but for more information please watch this video.

This can then be returned to us when you come for your appointment in the Stroke and TIA Prevention or Stroke Follow Up clinic.

If you are worried that you, or your family/friend is having a stroke or TIA, dial 000 immediately and ask for an ambulance.

You can find the signs and symptoms for stroke or TIA in this Stroke Foundation information.

If you have other concerns, start by making an appointment with your GP to discuss your health. If your GP needs some advice they can telephone the specialist doctor at the clinic.

Your GP is your primary health care provider and it is important that you continue to visit them. Our specialist doctor will send a letter to your GP after your clinic appointment.

Stroke Unit (Acute)

We have a dedicated ward in our hospital for stroke or TIA patients.

Stroke Follow Up Clinic

If you have had a stroke and been cared for in our Acute Stroke Unit or Rehabilitation ward, you might visit our Follow Up Clinic once you have left hospital. This is run by a specialist nurse and they will check in on your recovery. If you are required to attend this clinic, we will contact you to make an appointment. It is run at the same location and time as the Stroke and TIA Prevention Clinic.

Please let us know if you need an interpreter. You can contact us telephoning the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450. Tell the operator what language you speak and then ask the interpreter to set up a telephone conversation between you, an interpreter, and the healthcare professional you want to speak with.

We are teaching hospital and you may be asked to be involved in research or for a student to be present at your appointment. You have a right to say no. If you do so, this will not impact in any way on the services we will provide.

For more information on stroke:

Stroke Foundation

Stroke Recovery Association NSW