John Radcliffe Hospital – Oxford

                              NMOSD Clinical Service at John Radcliffe Hospital

nmo.advice@ouh.nhs.uk
Tel: 01865 231900

The Service in Oxford has two components, the clinical and the laboratory who work very closely together.

Referrals received from consultant neurologists will be accepted, referrals direct from GP’s will be accepted if it is likely the patient has NMOSD or if the patient has AQP4 or MOG antibodies

Prof Jacqueline Palace, leads the NMOSD Service which provides the following:

• Expert input on diagnosis, assessment and treatments
• Acute admissions for relapse assessment and management
• Remote advice to local medical teams
• Patient telephone and email advice line, manned by the NMOSD Nurse Specialist
• Access at clinic appointments to a full medical and therapy team (see below)
• Written information and access to websites on NMOSD

 Laboratory Service

The laboratories at the John Radcliffe Hospital carry out antibody testing for patients all over Europe who are suspected to have NMOSD. This has been clinically proven to be the most accurate test for the NMOSD antibody that is currently available.

Meet the Clinical team

Lead Consultant Neurologist: Prof Jacqueline Palace
Consultant Neurologist: Dr Maria Isabel Leite
Consultant Paediatric Neurologist: Dr Sithara Ramdas
Our role is to ensure the correct diagnosis and offer the most appropriate treatment for anyone with a diagnosis or suspected diagnosis of NMOSD.

Consultant Ophthalmologist: Dr Srilakshmi Sharma & Dr Victoria Nowak
The Ophthalmologist role is to review your eyesight and arrange any eye tests you may need

NMOSD Clinical Fellow: Dr Anna Francis
A clinical fellow is a doctor who is gaining experience in NMOSD.  They are involved in clinical care as well as research.  You may be asked to participate in this research at some point.

NMOSD Nurse Specialists:  Yvonne Sharawakanda and Madalina Miron
The NMOSD nurse provides a point of contact for patients and professionals alike, providing expertise, education and emotional support. The nurse is responsible for ensuring high standards of care for all patients linked in to the service as well as providing teaching and information for nursing staff from neurology units across the south of England.

NMOSD Specialist Physiotherapist (PT): Baerbel Christou
The role of physio is to assess any physical problems such as reduced balance, limb weakness, stiffness and spasms. Patients are encouraged to take an active role to improve their independence

NMOSD Specialist Occupational Therapist (OT): Liana Naggy
The role of the OT is to help maintain your independence in everyday activities.

NMOSD Co-ordinator: Sophie Smith
Sophie helps ensure the service is administered effectively.  As the NMOSD Coordinator, she has close contact with all the healthcare professionals previously mentioned. She will also arrange clinics, admissions, investigations requested by the neurologists (such as MRI) and the transfer of information between these healthcare professionals.
Sophie should be contacted to arrange appointments, request letters/patient information or as a point of contact if you are unsure who to direct a query to. Sophie has daily contact with the clinical team and is therefore an excellent resource for patients.

Administrative Assistant: James Moore
James provides an invaluable service for the team in making sure that all your clinic letters are typed and sent out to your GP, other consultants and to you.