Community Dermatology Service

 

The Community Dermatology Service was first established in 2004 in conjunction with Kingston Primary Care Trust and Klaus Misch, one of the Consultant Dermatologists at Kingston Hospital.

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The contract and operational management of the service transferred over to Kingston GP Chambers in 2013, and we have been running the service ever since.

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The clinic runs weekly on:

• Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays at Surbiton Health Centre

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In addition, there is also a joint clinic on the second Wednesday of each month whereby patients are reviewed jointly with a Consultant Dermatologist from the hospital.

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The service aims for patients to be seen quickly in a setting closer to home and to negate the need for secondary care referrals.

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Further information: 

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Your GP can refer you directly in to this service and you will typically be seen within four to six weeks.

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The doctors in the service are able to see and treat a wide range of dermatological conditions including;

• Acne

• Eczema

• Psoriasis

• Alopecia

• Urticaria

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GPs run the service with a specialist interest in Dermatology: Dr Jane McCahy, Dr Adel Kartas, Dr James Benton and Dr Peter Finney.  

In addition, they are also able to perform minor surgical procedures if necessary including incisions, excisions, aspirations, shave excisions, punch biopsies, curettage, cautery and cryotherapy. This also includes the management of BCCs in line with Cancer Improving Outcomes Guidance for Skin Cancer.

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The service operates from the first floor at Surbiton Health Centre and provides a comprehensive routine outpatient dermatology service within a community setting for all residents of Kingston.

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‍The doctors in the service triage all dermatology referrals that are received from local GPs across Kingston. Referrals are triaged in line with agreed referral criteria and evidence-based practice in order to determine the most appropriate treatment care pathway. This dictates whether the patient can be seen safely within a community setting or needs to be seen at the hospital.

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The doctors work closely with their consultant colleagues to ensure the delivery of a safe and effective service to all patients. By seeing more patients in a community setting they are also able to reduce the waiting times for more urgent or complex cases that need to be seen in a hospital environment.

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When patients are seen in the service, the doctor that sees them has full access to their medical records, as held by their GP. This is on the basis that the patient gives their consent to access. This will allow the doctor to see any past history or current medications that may be affecting the condition being reviewed and also supports the seamless transfer of information between the community Clinics and the patients' own registered GP.