Cathy Cameron

MCSP

Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield

Cathy Cameron qualified as a physiotherapist in 1990 having trained as a mature student. Previously she had worked as a research technician in Parasitology at Glasgow University so this was a real change of direction. She has since worked at various hospitals in Sheffield gaining experience in a wide variety of clinical areas. Cathy is currently based in the Rheumatology Unit at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield which is part of the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. A large number of patients with RA are seen and many of these are referred for Physiotherapy.

Since qualifying Cathy worked intermittently in Rheumatology until 8 years ago when she took up a permanent Rheumatology post and since then has completed several Rheumatology courses.

She is currently a Clinical Team Leader Physiotherapist which involves treating Rheumatology inpatients and outpatients but also involves managing both Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists in the Rheumatology team. She has also spent a year working in Canada where she gained more general outpatient experience. Cathy has been involved in the Rheumatology Physiotherapy special interest group since 1995. The group had an important role in enabling physiotherapists in the field to network and holding Rheumatology study days. At present the group is not active due to the widespread location of members. However Cathy and a physiotherapy colleague have established a physiotherapy e-mail network. This has worked well as it has allowed the exchange of information and sharing of ideas without being reliant on setting up meetings. We currently have 46 members.

As well as being a physiotherapy advisor for NRAS Cathy is also the physiotherapy representative for the British Health Professionals in Rheumatology.