British Society for Rheumatology

What British Society for Rheumatology does

The British Society for Rheumatology (BSR), founded in 1984 and headquartered in London, is a UK charitable medical society (Charity No: 1067124, Company No: 3470316) serving rheumatology and musculoskeletal professionals across the United Kingdom. Its core activities span four pillars: (1) clinical leadership, including the development of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines via a formal Guidelines Steering Group; (2) education and events, including the Annual Conference, Case-based Conference, specialist courses (Core Skills in Rheumatology, Ultrasound, Immunology, Osteoporosis, Connective Tissue Disorders, Specialist Nurses, AHPs), webinars, podcasts, and an eLearning platform awarding CPD credits; (3) research and quality improvement, through national patient registers (NEIAA, Lupus, and others) operated as joint data controllers with the Universities of Manchester and Aberdeen, plus audits, best practice awards, and a JIA learning collaborative; and (4) publishing, with three peer-reviewed journals (Rheumatology, Rheumatology Advances in Practice, Musculoskeletal Care) distributed via Oxford University Press.

BSR operates a web-based technology stack anchored at rheumatology.org.uk, comprising a public marketing and content site, an SSO-enabled member portal (My BSR) for course booking and member services, eLearning modules, webinar delivery, and digital tools for guidelines, audits, and patient register data collection. The society monetises through membership subscriptions (consultants, trainees, nurses, AHPs, retired, international tiers), course and conference fees with significant non-member price uplifts, journal subscriptions, and bursary administration. The customer base is fragmented across individual healthcare professionals in the UK, with international reach through the LMIC bursary and globally accessible on-demand courses. BSR's competitive position rests on its regulatory authority over UK rheumatology guidelines, its 25-year national register dataset, three peer-reviewed journals, and its position as the central community for the UK rheumatology multidisciplinary team.

Name

British Society for Rheumatology

Legal name

British Society for Rheumatology

Website

https://rheumatology.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The British Society for Rheumatology is a UK charitable medical society serving rheumatology and musculoskeletal professionals with evidence-based clinical guidelines, peer-reviewed journals, accredited education courses, national patient registers, and the Annual Conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Society Services

NAICS

Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (813990)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Pain Management (Spine & Musculoskeletal) (HLAKALAM)

Keywords

• Rheumatology medical society
• Professional medical education
• Clinical practice guidelines
• Peer-reviewed journals
• Continuing professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Healthcare professionals and organisations pay membership fees to join BSR, gaining access to conferences, courses, webinars, guidelines, journals, eLearning, and the member directory. Membership tiers include consultants, trainees, nurses, allied health professionals, and retired/international members.
2. Conference and Course Fees: Revenue from ticketed events including the Annual Conference, Case-based Conference, and education courses. Fees vary by membership status and professional level.
3. Journal Publishing: BSR publishes three peer-reviewed journals: Rheumatology, Rheumatology Advances in Practice, and Musculoskeletal Care. Revenue derives from subscriptions, licensing, and potentially open-access fees.
4. Bursary Administration: BSR administers education bursaries for members and international health professionals, providing funding towards courses and conferences. While bursaries are reimbursements rather than revenue, they represent a funding mechanism supporting education delivery.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) is the UK's leading specialist medical society for rheumatology and musculoskeletal professionals. It delivers a comprehensive ecosystem of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, three peer-reviewed journals (Rheumatology, Rheumatology Advances in Practice, Musculoskeletal Care), flagship conferences (Annual Conference, Case-based Conference), accredited education courses (Core Skills, Ultrasound, Specialist Nurses, Allied Health Professionals, Immunology, Connective Tissue Disorders, Osteoporosis), webinars, podcasts, eLearning modules, national patient registers (NEIAA, Lupus), and a tiered individual membership programme for consultants, trainees, nurses, and allied health professionals.

Product overview

British Society for Rheumatology offers a comprehensive portfolio of professional resources for rheumatology and musculoskeletal care professionals. The organization provides peer-reviewed journals (Rheumatology, Rheumatology Advances in Practice, and Musculoskeletal Care), podcasts, and eLearning modules. Its flagship events include the Annual Conference and Case-based Conference. BSR delivers education through multiple course formats including Core skills in rheumatology, Ultrasound for rheumatology practice, Rheumatology for specialist nurses, Rheumatology practice for allied health professionals, Introduction to Immunology, Connective tissue disorders, and Osteoporosis—all available as on-demand or in-person formats. Financial support is provided through UK Member Education Bursaries and Low and Middle Income Countries Bursaries. The organization also produces evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, manages patient registries (including NEIAA and Lupus), and offers membership providing access to the full ecosystem of resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rheumatology: Published journal covering rheumatology research
• Rheumatology Advances in Practice
• Musculoskeletal Care
• NEIAA

Products and services

• BSR Membership Tiered individual membership programme for healthcare professionals including consultants, trainees, nurses, allied health professionals, retired, and international members, providing access to conferences, courses, journals, eLearning, guidelines, and the professional community.
• Rheumatology Journal Peer-reviewed journal covering all aspects of rheumatology, published by Oxford University Press in partnership with BSR.
• Rheumatology Advances in Practice Peer-reviewed journal focused on practical applications and advances in rheumatology clinical practice.
• Musculoskeletal Care Peer-reviewed journal dedicated to musculoskeletal care and interdisciplinary approaches to rheumatic diseases.
• Annual Conference The UK's leading rheumatology event spanning three days with cutting-edge research, expert speakers, posters, symposia, and networking, held as a hybrid conference. The 2026 edition offers over 100 hours of on-demand content.
• Case-based Conference Smaller conference bringing together consultants and next-generation rheumatologists to share and exchange clinical best practice through case-based discussions.
• Core Skills in Rheumatology Two-day curriculum-based course providing essential education for all professional groups working in rheumatology, with parallel Medical and MDT streams, interactive lectures, and discussion sessions. Awards 11 CPD credits.
• Ultrasound for Rheumatology Practice Member-exclusive hands-on practical course setting the standard for ultrasound training in rheumatology, covering peripheral joint scanning, regional musculoskeletal US, and inflammatory arthritis assessment.
• Rheumatology for Specialist Nurses Comprehensive course focusing on clinical and non-clinical skills required for specialist nurses, mapped against the RCN competency framework.
• Rheumatology Practice for Allied Health Professionals One-day education course for physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and other allied health professionals covering essential rheumatology topics.
• Introduction to Immunology On-demand course covering fundamental immunology concepts and their relationship to rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, including CAR-T therapy, immunotherapy, and genetic testing. Awards 6 CPD credits.
• Connective Tissue Disorders: Practical Assessment and Management On-demand course providing practical overview of diagnosing and assessing multisystem clinical presentations of connective tissue disorders, covering ANCA vasculitis, large vessel vasculitis, and Behcet's syndrome. Awards 6 RCP credits.
• Osteoporosis On-demand course covering comprehensive aspects of osteoporosis diagnosis, investigation, and management with case-based teaching. Provides 6 hours of CPD content.
• Webinars Exclusive live and on-demand webinars for registered members covering current topics in rheumatology practice and research.
• Clinical Practice Guidelines Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines developed using rigorous protocols, serving as the authoritative standard for UK rheumatology practice.
• BSR Patient Registers National patient registries including the National Early Inflammatory Autoimmune Disease Audit (NEIAA), Lupus register, and other clinical registries that collect patient data in partnership with the Universities of Manchester and Aberdeen for research and quality improvement.
• BSR eLearning Platform Online education platform offering on-demand courses, webinars, and interactive learning modules for continuing professional development across the multidisciplinary rheumatology team.
• BSR Podcasts Audio content covering rheumatology topics, interviews, and professional discussions for members.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 hours of on-demand educational content available from Annual Conference 2026 alone
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Universities of Manchester & AberdeencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBSR partners with the Universities of Manchester and Aberdeen as joint data controllers for the BSR patient registers. These academic collaborations underpin the society's national registry programs, enabling research, safety monitoring, and quality improvement in rheumatology care. The registers include NEIAA (National Early Inflammatory Autoimmune Disease Audit), Lupus register, and other condition-specific registries that collect patient data for research purposes.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• British Medical Association: The UK-wide doctors' trade union and professional association. Comparable to BSR as a UK membership organisation, but much larger and more general in scope across all medical practitioners.
• Royal College of Physicians: A larger UK medical royal college with a broad physician membership base. Comparable to BSR as a UK professional membership body delivering education, guidelines, and examinations, but spanning many specialties rather than just rheumatology.
• Versus Arthritis: The UK's largest arthritis charity, funding research and supporting people with musculoskeletal conditions. Comparable to BSR in the rheumatology/MSK space as a UK organisation producing research, education, and patient-facing content, although focused on the patient/charity side rather than the clinician-membership side.
• Royal Society of Medicine: A London-based UK medical society offering membership, conferences, and education across specialties. Comparable to BSR in operating model (membership + events + eLearning) but serving a multi-specialty audience at significantly larger scale.

Direct peers

• American College of Rheumatology: The US specialist society for rheumatology professionals. Directly comparable to BSR as a national membership society providing guidelines, journals, annual meeting, and education for rheumatology clinicians.
• EULAR (European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology): The umbrella European rheumatology society. Directly comparable to BSR in function (annual congress, journals, guidelines, education) but operating at the pan-European level rather than the UK alone.

Others

• NHS England: The publicly funded body commissioning rheumatology services in England. Comparable to BSR as the demand-side context that determines membership value (NHS rheumatology workforce size, training pathways), though it is not a competing society.
• Oxford University Press (Rheumatology journal partnership): BSR's publishing partner for the flagship `Rheumatology` journal. Comparable as the distribution and commercialisation backbone for BSR's journal revenue, rather than as a competitor.

Regional players

• Canadian Rheumatology Association: The Canadian national professional society for rheumatology. Comparable to BSR in providing national guidelines, an annual scientific meeting, and continuing professional development for clinicians in a single country context.
• Australian Rheumatology Association: The Australian national society for rheumatology professionals. Comparable to BSR as a national membership society with guidelines, annual scientific meeting, and trainee support, but serving Australia rather than the UK.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rheumatologyuk
• Facebookfacebook.com/167778933302960
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-british-society-for-rheumatology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about British Society for Rheumatology