Connecting, Educating, and Advocating; Juvenile Arthritis Research at the Royal College of GPs Annual Conference

We were delighted to attend this year’s RCGP Conference, where our volunteers Chelle, Becca, and Tim helped to raise awareness of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). Their passion, openness, and lived experience brought an extra personal touch to our conversations with medical professionals at every stage of their careers. 

Across the two days, we focused on increasing understanding of JIA and highlighting the support we offer to clinicians, their colleagues, and to the young people and families affected by the condition. As parents of young people living with JIA, Chelle, Becca, and Tim shared their stories with honesty and warmth, helping healthcare professionals to gain a deeper appreciation of the realities of the condition and the importance of getting an early referral to specialist support. As home of the #ThinkJIA awareness campaign, Juvenile Arthritis Research has developed many of the resources needed to raise awareness amongst GPs and frontline health professionals, and attending the conference is one way of bringing the important message that arthritis can affect people of any age to this vital audience. 

One of our conference highlights was a thoughtful and generous discussion with TV’s Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi (@irondoctorhaz on Instagram), who took the time to learn about our charity, understand our mission, and offer insightful ideas on how we can share our work with other frontline clinicians. We also loved being part of the supportive community of small charities in other healthcare fields exhibiting at the conference. Connecting with organisations that share our commitment to improving patient experiences within their own healthcare condition remit was both inspiring and grounding. We exchanged stories and ideas, learning from one another and celebrating the collective difference we strive to make.

Overall, the RCGP Annual Conference was a valuable opportunity not only to educate and advocate, but to connect with professionals and partners who can help us to continually grow the impact of Juvenile Arthritis Research and the work we do.

We are grateful to Tim, Becca and Chelle who took time out of their day jobs and their busy lives to attend the conference as volunteers on behalf of Juvenile Arthritis Research.