2026 is proving to be a busier year than we had anticipated.

The big news is that we have commissioned a report on our African Charities to help them move towards sustainable financial independence. This is due at the end of June and we hope will help both the Kelly Academy and Kelah House to find alternative funding in the future.

Meanwhile I have given notice of my intent to retire from my present 75% fulltime clinical NHS role at the end of the year, to free up time to further develop specialist services in lung disease, chronic pain and neurodivergence, and in the expanding area of immunotherapy.

I wish to combine this with our African work, along with my family, teaching and academic interests.

I recognise this means that I will be unable to earn enough money to keep both the Charities fully equipped and maintained, so hence the need to explore other ways to augment their income.

Meanwhile we head back to Zanzibar in August where we hope to establish a clinic in Pemba for patients with SLE which is very common there. Weekly virtual clinics with KCMC are continuing and several clinical research projects are taking shape with reference to East Africa, including:

1 An audit of new cases of SLE with the intention of establishing a clinical management service

2 Exploring the potential for a screening program to diagnose SLE earlier in young people

3 A recent publication highlighting adult Stills disease in the Zanzibar archipelago

4 A study comparing macrophage activation in Still’s disease and SLE with that seen in visceral leishmaniasis. A real concern with global warming and the increased use of biologic drugs.