Residents living across mid and south Essex will have better access to care for skin conditions, including suspected skin cancers, following the launch of a new community dermatology service.
Community dermatology is an NHS service providing specialist skin assessments, treatment, and advice for adults in local settings, reducing the need to travel to hospital.
NHS Mid and South Essex has commissioned the new service, provided by CHEC, to bring together all adult (16+) dermatology referrals into one place, which are made by patients’ GP.
Patients will be guided to the right care for their needs, which may include self-management, or treatment at local community or hospital settings. This ensures that patients are seen by the right service at the right time – helping to improve patient access to services and bringing down waiting times for assessment and treatment.
We know that unusual or concerning skin changes are one of the most frequent health issues that patients seek help for. This new integrated community dermatology service will help to tackle waiting lists for care by ensuring patients and GPs have more streamlined access to education, specialist review, and treatment. By bringing dermatology services into the community, we are supporting more patients to access care closer to home and have a better experience in accessing the care they need.
Dr Anna Davey, GP lead for NHS Mid and South Essex
There is a growing need for dermatology services to be delivered at a community level to help tackle NHS waiting lists for these vital services. We are proud to be supporting the delivery of this integrated pathway, working in close partnership with the NHS to ensure patients are assessed quickly and receive the most appropriate care.
Patient choice, exceptional care and equity of access are central to CHEC’s ethos. Through collaboration with NHS partners nationwide, we remain focused on reducing waiting times while continuing to deliver safe, high-quality care closer to home.
Iwona Ngody, Director of NHS Services at CHEC
Following referral, patients will receive a consultant-led assessment which may be supported by telehealth. Telehealth, or teledermatology, is a way for patients to have skin concerns, such as rashes, new moles, or lesions, reviewed by a specialist using photos and the patient’s clinical information.
Using these tools helps ensure patients with potentially serious conditions can be seen as quickly as possible and may not need to travel to a hospital to be seen first.
Online and face-to-face appointments at community settings across mid and south Essex, as well as imaging support for patients who might not be able to take photos of their skin condition, are also provided through the service.
Patients that have persistent or unusual changes to their skin should make an appointment with their GP.
Further information about the community dermatology service is available from GP practices across mid and south Essex.