Bringing dermatology services closer to you

After a six month review of dermatology referral letters, the Central Sheffield GP Consortium found that 54 per cent of all referrals were for lesions being removed.

Lesions are lumps and bumps on the skin, such as moles, cysts, warts or skin tags.

Usually, if a patient wants a lesion removed they have to go to hospital – but thanks to the findings of our review, we are working to change this.

Using the review results, we met with Sheffield Primary Care Trust and agreed to set up practice-based lesion clinics, that will provide patients with quicker access to the services they require.

The clinics will be introduced into GP surgeries around Sheffield and run by trained dermatologists.

This way, patients who want a lesion removed can simply visit their local GP to undergo the procedure, instead of having to travel to hospital.