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| >> Media Section Below are press releases from February to June 2007. BAD launches new sun safety information, 28.06.07 New guidelines to protect skin patients, 21.06.07 Smoking ban link to younger looking skin, 14.06.07 Dermatologists offer best advice on skin, 15.02.07 BAD launches new sun safety information THE British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) has teamed up with the British Skin Foundation charity (BSF) for a new Sun Awareness Campaign. Launched during the BAD’s Sun Awareness Week in May, the campaign aims to educate people about the dangers of too much sun exposure. In particular, the association is looking to provide information in areas that have been confusing up until now, including sun advice for dark skin types, how to use the UV index, how to check your moles and new sunscreen labelling. A new range of easy to understand, colourful leaflets and posters have been made available free of charge, and include:
These are complemented by a ‘fact sheet’ and web page with frequently asked questions about sunscreen, sun safety, skin colours, and advice about new labelling on sunscreens to come into affect next year. Topics include:
The fact sheet can be viewed online at: www.bad.org.uk/public/cancer/sunscreen_and_skin_cancer_factsheet.asp Nina Goad of the British Association of Dermatologists, directing the Sun Awareness Campaign said: “More than 70,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed every year, with malignant melanoma causing 2,000 deaths per year. That’s equivalent to a bus load of people being killed every week. We recently carried out a survey which showed that three-quarters of people don’t understand about UVA and UVB protection, while alarmingly, one in ten men don’t believe skin cancer is linked to sun exposure. Clearly, we have a lot of work to do, and we hope this campaign will make a good start.” All of the new sun safety information can be viewed and downloaded from the BAD website - http://www.bad.org.uk/public/cancer/ or you can order hard copies by calling phoning 0207 391 6355 or emailing nina@bad.org.uk -ends- Note to editors: To help take these sun safety messages to a wider audience, the BAD and BSF has taken part in interviews on sun safety in the following media: TV Sky News; GMTV; ITN London Press The Guardian; The Sun; Independent; Daily Telegraph; The Times; Sunday Express; Daily Record; The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Central editions); The Press and Journal; The Argus; Telegraph and Argus; Western Morning News (Devon and Cornwall editions); Hartlepool Mail; Gazette (South Shields); Darlington & Stockton Times, Co. Durham; Swindon Advertiser; Belfast Telegraph; Beauty magazine; Evening News, Norwich; Soap, Perfumery and Cosmetics magazine; The Press and Journal (Central and Aberdeen editions); Press Dispensary; PA news Western Daily Press (Somerset and Bristol editions); Marketing magazine; Manchester Evening News; Western Mail; Which? Magazine; Newcastle Evening Chronicle; Northern Echo; Croydon Post; Darlington and Stockton Times; Reader’s Digest; PR Week; The London Paper; Essentials magazine; You magazine (Mail on Sunday); Zest magazine; NHS Trusts Association website Radio BBC Radio 4; BBC Radio 5 Live; BBC Radio Shropshire; BBC Radio Newcastle; BBC Radio Cornwall; BBC Radio Leicester; BBC Radio Nottingham; BBC Radio Swindon; BBC Three Counties Radio (x3); BBC Radio West Midlands; BBC Radio Wiltshire Breakfast show; BBC Radio Norfolk; BBC Radio York; BBC Radio Newcastle; BBC Radio Humberside; BBC Radio Derby; BBC Radio Guernsey; BBC Radio Devon; Peak 107 FM – North Derbyshire; Lantern FM – North Devon; Manx Radio – Isle of Man; 107.7 The Wolf – Wolverhampton; Seven FM – Northern Ireland; Wessex FM – Dorset; The Bee 107 – Lancashire; Radio City 96.7 - Liverpool, Merseyside, North West and North Wales; Colourful Radio (digital and online); Asian Star 101.6; Premier Christian Radio Coverage will continue throughout the summer in women’s magazines and news media. For more information please contact Nina Goad , Communications Manager BAD welcomes new guidelines to protect skin disease patients NEW guidance has been published by the Department of Health to ensure that all GPwSIs (GPs with Special Interests) treating skin disease patients are suitably qualified and have the necessary clinical skills to do so. Previously, GPwSIs did not have a formal accreditation system, unlike all other health professionals. GPs could become GPwSIs with highly variable and sometimes very little training and experience of dermatology. “National Guidance and competencies for the provision of services using GPs with special interests ( GPwSI) in community settings: Dermatology and skin surgery” was developed by the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD), Primary Care Dermatological Society, Skin Care Campaign and the Royal College of General Practitioners. The document provides information about a dermatology curriculum, core competencies, teaching methods and assessment. This supports the new commissioning guidance in “Care Closer to Home – Convenient Quality Care for Patients” , also recently launched, and together these new documents should ensure that all dermatology GPwSIs are properly trained to provide the service they have been commissioned to deliver. The need for improved, mandatory guidance was highlighted by a 2004 survey of GPwSIs in dermatology, in which only a third of respondents indicated that they were working within the existing DH framework; half had not completed an accreditation process in the first place, and almost half admitted to not attending the required minimum of a monthly session in the local secondary care dermatology department. * Dermatologists raised concerns that skin disease patients referred to new ‘community’ clinics, for example Clinical Assessment, Treatment and Support Services (CATS) and Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTC), instead of dermatology departments might not see the most appropriately trained person, and that ‘patient choice’ was removed if patients were not given the option to see a dermatologist ². Since 15% of a GP’s consultation time relates to skin disorders³, rectifying this situation was a priority for the BAD. Dr Julia Schofield, Consultant Dermatologist and co-author of the new guidance, said: “Without mandatory accreditation, there is a danger that GPwSI dermatology services will be brought into disrepute. It is vitally important for the maintenance of a high standard of care and the credibility of dermatology services that all existing and new GPwSIs are accredited in accordance with the GPwSI in dermatology accreditation framework.” Dr Susan Burge, Consultant Dermatologist and President of the BAD said: “The British Association of Dermatologists believes that people with skin diseases should receive the right care, in the right place, the first time. The provision of dermatology services should be based on the needs of patients: those with severe or complex illnesses will require hospital-based services; others may be managed in the community. “The documents should ensure that care, wherever it is delivered, is of high quality and does not compromise patient safety. It is reassuring that Primary Care Trusts in England are expected to pay due regard to the provisions in these documents when commissioning dermatology services”, Dermatologist and President -elect of the BAD Dr Colin Holden said: “The BAD is proud to be involved with the development of the Guidance for GPwSI in dermatology. The guidance emphasises the training requirements, service standards and continuing development of skills that patients should expect to receive from GPs who take a special interest in skin. “It is essential that purchasers of health care apply these standards to services they commission and also understand the need specifically stated in the guidance that such services should be integrated with local Dermatology Consultant services.” -Ends- Notes to editors: *The NHS Modernisation Agency, Action on Dermatology programme survey of GPwSIs in dermatology – results from 80 returns were analysed and audited against the DoH document “Guidelines for the Appointment of General Practitioners with Special Interest in the Delivery of Clinical Services Dermatology (April 2003)” ² Many PCTs are setting up ‘intermediate services’ that are not covered by the Choose & Book system (if you require a hospital appointment, you are able to choose which hospital you would prefer to attend) and which they perceive to be cheaper. Patients referred to these services will not be offered ‘choice’, nor are they likely to be seen by a fully trained and accredited dermatologist on the GMC (General Medical Council) specialist register. Patients may be seen by a GP with a special interest in dermatology and perhaps a dermatology diploma, a doctor trained elsewhere in Europe or perhaps a specialist nurse. Some, but not all, of the individuals working in intermediate services may also work closely with a consultant dermatologist in the local hospital department. If your GP suggests that you are referred for a dermatology opinion, you should be offered a choice of hospital under the Choose & Book scheme. If you are not offered any choice, then it is likely that you are being referred to an intermediate clinic. ³Royal College of General Practitioners, "Morbidity Statistics from General Practice: Fourth National Study 1991-92", published in 1995 by HMSO. For more information please contact Nina Goad , Communications Manager, Phone: 0207 391 6355, Email: nina@bad.org.uk, Website: www.bad.org.uk The British Association of Dermatologists is the central and long-established association of practising UK dermatologists, and our aim is to continually improve the treatment and understanding of skin disease. Dermatologists claim smoking ban will not only save lives but will make people look younger DERMATOLOGISTS, the experts on skin disease, envisage a little-known extra benefit to July 1st’s smoking ban in England – younger looking skin. If, as supporters of the ban predict, more smokers are inspired to quit, fewer people will experience the premature ageing caused by cigarette smoke. Recent studies even suggest that passive smoking leads to wrinkles, so it is not just smokers themselves who could benefit from a more youthful complexion. Dermatologist and President of the British Association of Dermatologists, Dr Colin Holden said: “When we think of the impact of smoking on the body, we obviously concentrate on the risks of lung cancer and heart disease. “However, strong evidence now links the habit to premature ageing of the skin, including wrinkles. These findings may provide an extra incentive for people to quit.” Some wrinkling of the skin is unavoidable as the body ages, but external factors also play a major role – especially UV exposure and smoking, which lead to wrinkles and a sallow, leathery texture. Dr Holden explained: “The skin gets its elasticity to a large extent from collagen. Smoking enhances an enzyme in the skin (matrix metalloproteinase-1) which degrades collagen, so the skin loses its elasticity and develops lines. “In addition, smoking causes blood vessels to constrict, which limits the amount of oxygen that can reach the skin. This lack of oxygen reduces production of collagen and elastin (which also gives the skin its structure) and negatively affects the skin’s health and appearance generally. Smoking can also cause an unattractive yellowing of fingernails which makes the hands look older. “If everyone in the UK was to quit smoking, and also take a bit more care in the sun, in decades to come the population would keep its youthful appearance for a lot longer than at present.” Anti smoking groups and cancer charities have strongly encouraged the ban, citing cancer causing chemicals in second-hand smoke as the key motivation for the move. But those who are not convinced by these arguments may be swayed by the fact that smoking is a major factor in premature ageing of the skin. Nina Goad of the British Association of Dermatologists said: “Many people spend a lot of money on anti ageing products but also sunbathe and smoke – rendering all the time and money they have spent on their anti-wrinkle skincare regime a bit pointless. “In the same way that some women wear sunscreen to protect against wrinkles more than through concerns about skin cancer, we may find that publicising how smoking ages your skin provides another good reason to ditch the habit.” -Ends- Notes to editors: For more information please contact Nina Goad , Communications Manager, Phone: 0207 391 6355, Email: nina@bad.org.uk , Website: www.bad.org.uk Dermatologists offer best advice on skin problems, survey reveals THREE-quarters of adults in Great Britain would consult a dermatologist for the best advice on skin problems, according to new research for the British Association of Dermatologists. However, one in five adults incorrectly believe that dermatologists conduct treatments like facials, tanning, waxing or facelifts. The Ipsos MORI survey – to understand the public’s perception of dermatologists – is thought to be the first of its kind and was undertaken in light of current threats to dermatology care from the Government’s NHS reforms. When asked who, from a list of people including healthcare professionals, would give the best advice on skin problems, the majority of adults (73%) choose a dermatologist. This comes some way ahead of GPs mentioned by 58% of adults. In spite of this, the government’s health reforms are rationing patients’ access to expert advice, as GPs are forced to treat patients with skin problems themselves or to refer them to “community clinics”, most of which are not staffed by consultant dermatologists. The survey clearly shows that people associate the profession with the treatment of some of the most common skin disorders. When asked what springs to mind on hearing the word “dermatologist”, nearly three-quarters (72%), mention skin, skin disease, or skin cancer without prompting. Three-quarters (76%) of GB adults associate dermatologists with the treatment of eczema, a condition which affects one in five children and one in twelve adults. Likewise, over two-thirds (68%) link the treatment of acne – which affects over 80 per cent of adolescents – with dermatologists. Several other roles were linked with dermatologists by half or more of those interviewed, including treating/diagnosing rashes (66%), checking moles (50%) and treating skin cancer (49%). “Nine out of ten adults were able to correctly identify at least one of the treatment areas provided by a dermatologist, which is really positive,” said Nina Goad of the British Association of Dermatologists. “However, a significant minority (one in five adults) incorrectly believe that dermatologists conduct treatments like facials, tanning, waxing or facelifts – a misconception which the British Association of Dermatologists will be seeking to correct.” President of the British Association of Dermatologists Dr Susan Burge said: “Dermatologists are the experts in skin disease, and this survey shows that people know this. Each year around two million people are cared for by teams of dermatologists and nurses in hospitals. “There are many different skin disorders and they can be difficult to diagnose. Skin cancers can kill. Infants with eczema may lie awake crying and scratching until the skin is torn and bleeding. Acne devastates the lives of many teenagers and the scars are a permanent reminder. Severe psoriasis may reduce quality of life as much as diabetes or asthma. “Patients are being denied choice of access to expert advice, as GPs are forced to treat patients with skin problems themselves or divert referrals to services which are not run by consultant dermatologists. As a result, life-threatening skin cancers may be missed; people may suffer because the diagnosis was wrong or the treatment second-best. “What choice do you have if your GP is unable to refer you to a dermatologist? If you are referred to such a service, will you see a registered specialist? “This survey proves that adults are well aware that dermatologists are skin specialists, and it follows that access to experts should be provided on the basis of need, not restricted on the basis of cost.” Survey summary: Ipsos MORI poll of over 2000 GB adults. When asked who would give the best advice on skin problems, 73% chose a dermatologist. When asked what springs to mind on hearing the word “dermatologist”, 72%, mentioned skin, skin disease, or skin cancer. 76% associated dermatologists with the treatment of eczema, 68% linked the treatment of acne with dermatologists 88% identified at least one correct activity from a list of options given, relating to services provided by dermatologists (e.g. acne treatment, skin cancer treatment) 17% selected one or more incorrect treatments, (e.g. facials, tanning, waxing, cosmetic surgery or facelifts). NOTE FOR EDITORS
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