Demand and Capacity Management
This page provides tools and processes to assist dermatology departments with managing demand and capacity within their service.
Advice and Guidance
RAS Services
Quick guide for clinicians reviewing referral Assessment service (RAS) referrals via eRS.
Reviewing referral assessment service referrals – NHS e-Referral Service – NHS Digital
Referral Optimisation
This guidance outlines how to implement specialist advice and guidance in dermatology services. Specialist advice and guidance, supported by digital images, helps patients with skin conditions to be treated in the right place at the right time, reducing unnecessary hospital appointments.
2ww – The two-week wait skin cancer pathway
In April 2022 the two-week wait skin cancer pathway optimisation guidance was published outlining innovative approaches for systems to consider to support early diagnosis of skin cancer as part of the COVID-19 recovery plan. This includes a new virtual pathway using digital images (teledermatology) and single lesion face-to-face ‘spot clinics’, helping to reduce unnecessary hospital attendances, whilst ensuring face-to-face consultations continue to be available for those patients who need them.
Supporting resources are available on the Outpatient Transformation workspace on FutureNHS platform.
Faster Diagnosis Pathway Guidance for Skin cancer
The Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) is a new performance standard being introduced to ensure patients who are referred for suspected cancer have a timely diagnosis.
The standard will ensure patients will be diagnosed or have cancer ruled out within 28 days of being referred urgently by their GP for suspected cancer. The Faster Diagnosis pathway guidance document for skin cancer, co-badged with the BAD is available on the NHS website.
Skin Cancer pathways
We have developed a short-form Skin Cancer Pathways guidance document, available here.
Guide to adopting remote consultations for people with skin conditions
This guide is intended to support systems and trusts to adopt remote consultations in their services, in line with the ambitions around digital technologies outlined in the elective recovery plan.
Guide to adopting remote consultations for people with skin conditions
Clinical prioritisation of dermatology outpatient waiting list
NHSE have produced a document outlining an approach to support local systems with the clinical prioritisation of routine dermatology outpatient waiting lists as part of the COVID-19 elective recovery plan. It will support clinicians in prioritising clinical activity by identifying those patients whose skin condition has deteriorated as a result of the delay and identifying patients whose condition has resolved and no longer require a consultation. This is a draft document, a final version will be published once formally approved by NHS England.
Top Tips for DNAs
Please click the link below for Top Tips for DNAs produced by Nick Levell.
Follow Ups
‘Top Tips’ to ensure that the right people are offered follow-up appointments and understand how to re-access the service, if necessary.
Patient Initiated Follow Ups (PIFU)
The BAD has produced a guide to setting up PIFU for a range of suitable patients with skin conditions. This information has been adapted for dermatology from NHS England PIFU guidance
PIFU Templates
The following templates may also be useful for clinicians setting up PIFU for their patients.
Further Guidance on PIFU
More information on Patient Initiated Follow-ups can be found on the Outpatient Transformation NHS Futures PIFU page.
Please note: you will need login details to view the page.
Job Planning
WIth the increased use of Teledermatology across dermatology care pathways, this requires changes to clinicians job plans to facilitate this new way of working. Face to face PAs should be exchanged for virtual PAs in agreement with clinical staff.
The BAD has written a guide to Job Planning for Dermatologists which contains generic job plan templates for consultant-led services, please see below:
Staffing and Facilities
Guidelines for providers, Commissioners and Local Health Authorities on the required staffing and facilities to run an effective Dermatology service.
Staffing and Facilities Guidance for Dermatology Services
These guidelines offer advice to providers, Commissioners and Local Health Authorities on the required staffing and facilities to run a skin surgery unit in the community or in secondary care.
Staffing and Facilities for Skin Surgery Dermatology Services
