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Consultant Rheumatologist

Qualifications: MD, FRCP, Certificate in Medical Education

General information:

Mark qualified from St Mary’s Hospital Medical School (Imperial College) in 1997 and has worked as a Consultant Rheumatologist since 2008. He undertook postgraduate training in Bristol, Australia, and the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases Bath. Mark has parallel interests in how people use evidence in clinical practice, the current (mis)use of computers in medicine, enabling people with rheumatic disease to maximise self-management, and developing outpatient services that are both patient focused and efficient.

Areas of expertise:

Patient Initiated Follow Up. Mark has collaborated since 2001 with many colleagues across the UK, including the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula and NHS England & Improvement (NHSEI) in investigating, implementing and evaluating Patient Initiated Follow Up. In 2016 Mark lead the Plymouth Rheumatology Direct Access service and PenCLARHC project team in becoming a finalist in the British Society of Rheumatology Best Practice Awards, and winning the Health Services Journal Value in Healthcare Award in recognition of the patient centred service implementation and evaluation. From 2020 Mark has advised NHSEI in Outpatient Redesign and standardising sustainable care across the NHS by supporting clinicians, service managers and commissioners in formalising patient-initiated follow-up.

Mark’s MD research at Bristol University was in circadian variations in rheumatoid arthritis.

Current roles:

• Trustee Postgraduate Medical Centre Plymouth
• Digital Strategy Board & subcommittees UHP
• Faculty for Teaching Evidence Based Medicine Oxford
• Co-founder and current faculty for Making Sense of Evidence Annual Conference, Applied Research Collaboration SW Peninsula
• Christian Medical Fellowship Medical School Link for PUPSMD

Previous appointments:

• Outpatient Clinical Lead, NHS Outpatient Transformation Programme
• NHS Liaison Making Sense of Evidence, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Peninsula Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care South West Peninsula (PenCLAHRC, now PenARC).
• Rheumatology Clinical Lead, Plymouth Healthcare NHS Trust
• Rheumatology Clinical Trials Lead, Plymouth Healthcare NHS Trust
• Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, University of Exeter Medical School
• Clinical Academic Lead Evidence Based Practice Plymouth University Peninsula School of Medicine and Dentistry (PUPSMD)
• Other roles in PUPSMD have included Clinical Teacher Lead, Academic Tutor, Small Group Facilitator, Final ISCE examiner, Library Working Group, and Clinical Assessment Panel
• Other roles at University Hospitals Plymouth have included: Clinical Excellence Award peer review panel; Trainee & local and regional consultant appointment panels; University Hospitals Plymouth Staff Mental Health Champion

Contact Details:

Department of Rheumatology, University Hospitals Plymouth, PL6 8DH
Secretary Katie Morris 01752-439236
plh-tr.rheumatologyadmin@nhs.net

 

Selected Publications:

• Hewlett S, Kirwan J, Pollock J, Mitchell K, Hehir M, Blair P, Memel D, Perry MG. Patient initiated outpatient follow up in rheumatoid arthritis: six year randomised controlled trial. BMJ (2004) 330:171-175.
• Perry MG, Richards L, Harbuz M, Jessop D, Kirwan JR. A synovial catheter allows sequential synovial fluid sampling and early data suggests plasma and synovial fluid IL-6 vary independently in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (2006) 45(2):229-30.
• Overnight variations in cortisol, IL-6, TNF alpha and other cytokines in people with rheumatoid arthritis. Perry M. G., Kirwan J. R., Jessop D. S., Hunt L. P. Ann Rheum Dis (2009) 68:63-68.
• Effect of novel therapeutic glucocorticoids on circadian rhythms of hormones and cytokines in rheumatoid arthritis. Kirwan JR, Clarke L, Hunt LP, Perry MG, Straub RH, Jessop DS. Ann N. Y. Acad. Sci. (2010) 1193:127-133.
• Circadian rhythms of glucocorticoids & cytokines in relation to disease in RA. Perry MG, Jesop DS, Kirwan JR. European Musculoskeletal Review (2010) 5(2):23-26.
• Overnight variations in IL-6 in synovial fluid & plasma in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. Perry MG, Jessop DS, Hunt LP, Sharif M, Kirwan JR. Int J Clin Rheum. 2010. 5(5):
• Alleviation of morning joint stiffness by low-dose prednisone in rheumatoid arthritis is associated with circadian changes in IL-6 and cortisol. Lynsey L Clarke, David S Jessop, Linda P Hunt, Rainer H Straub, Mark G Perry, John R Kirwan. Int. J. Clin. Rheumatol. (2011) 6(2), 231–239.
• Evaluation of patient initiated review system in rheumatoid arthritis; an implementation trial protocol. Priya Paudyal, Mark Perry, Sue Child, Christian Gericke. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders (2012) 13:120. doi: 10.1186/1471-2474-13-120.
• Whear, R., A. K. Abdul-Rahman, et al. 2013. Patient initiated clinics for patients with chronic or recurrent conditions managed in secondary care: a systematic review of patient reported outcomes and patient and clinician satisfaction. BMC Health Serv Res 13: 501.
• Whear, R., A. K. Abdul-Rahman, et al. (2013). "The clinical effectiveness of patient initiated clinics for patients with chronic or recurrent conditions managed in secondary care: a systematic review." PLoS One 8(10): e74774.
• Child, S., V. A. Goodwin, et al. (2015). "Implementing a patient-initiated review system in rheumatoid arthritis: a qualitative evaluation." BMC Health Serv Res 15(1): 157.
• Goodwin, V. A., P. Paudyal, et al. (2016). Implementing a patient-initiated review system for people with rheumatoid arthritis: a prospective, comparative service evaluation.  J Eval Clin Pract. 
• Whear R. et al. 'Patient initiated appointment systems for adults with chronic conditions in secondary care’ Cochrane Systematic Review. 2020. 
• NHSEI Rheumatology Department Direct Access PIFU Case Study  

Other activities:

• Blog authorship. “Perspectives on patient-initiated appointment systems”. Co-author in a series of blogs to raise the profile of patient initiated appointment systems.
• Implementing patient-initiated follow-up (PIFU) in adult rheumatology services. NHSEI January 2022. Invited co-authorship from NHS England & Improvement.