Dermatology and Plastics
The Dermatology Department is composed of a multidisciplinary team consisting of Consultants, Speciality doctors, GPs with Specialist Interests in Dermatology, Inflammatory Nurse Specialists and Cancer Nurse Specialists. We are supported by a dedicated Administration Team.
The service sees patients in various outpatient settings across the Trust, supported by the general outpatient nursing teams. The majority of patients are seen in the Outpatients Department at Peterborough City Hospital. We also have some limited services at Stamford & Rutland, Hinchingbrooke, Ely and Doddington Hospitals and the City Care Centre in Peterborough.
We do not have an out of hours on call service and do not routinely look after inpatients. Patients admitted with skin problems are looked after by the Medical or Paediatric Team, with advice and support from the Dermatology team if required. Urgent ward visits can be arranged if needed and appropriate by referral from the Medical Consultant looking after the patient during normal working hours.
Our mission is to deliver high quality, patient centred care for people with skin problems of all ages across the region. We aim to provide access to timely and appropriate medical and nursing expertise to support Primary care teams and patients to manage their skin problems in the Community where possible or up at the Trust if more specialist input is required.
We treat a wide variety of inflammatory skin diseases and work very closely with our colleagues in the Plastic Surgery Department to deliver an integrated Skin Cancer Service.
About Us
We see adults and children from the local region with both inflammatory skin problems and skin cancer. We provide a nurse-led local service for patch testing (skin allergy tests for Contact dermatitis) and Narrow band UVB (TLO1) for treating certain skin diseases at Peterborough City Hospital.
Sometimes it is not possible to treat your condition within our team. For example we do not have a service for general allergy testing (prick testing), this is provided by Paediatrics or Adult Immunology services. If we can not offer you treatment, we will inform and advise your GP on management in the Community or refer you to another service to support your care.
The NHS does not commission services routinely for a few skin problems in Secondary care. For example, treatment of benign skin lesions such as warts and verrucae is not possible at the hospital without prior approval from the commissioning team. In these cases, if care is not available in Primary care, unfortunately you may need to seek advice in the private sector if you would like treatment. Your GP can advise you on how to arrange this.
Opening times: Monday –Friday 9.00-5.00
Visiting Us
Appointments with the Dermatology team may be by telephone, from the comfort of your home or face to face in the department. In some cases a Telephone appointment may not be appropriate and the team may need to see you at the hospital. If you are offered a face to face appointment and would prefer not to travel to the Hospital and speak to us on the telephone instead, please contact the booking team hub on 01733 67355 or email:nwangliaft.telepatients@nhs.net
Preparing for your appointment:
It is understandable to be anxious about speaking to the team about your skin problem. It can be useful to write down any questions you have to bring with you.
Please bring a copy of any current or recent medications you take (tablets and creams, from the GP or you have bought over the counter from a shop or Pharmacy).
If you have a copy of any recent blood tests performed by your GP it can be helpful to bring that also as we do not have access to the GPs systems.
Patients with Special requirements:
We try and support visitors and patients with special requirements on all sites. eg we have induction loops, wheelchair provision and disabled parking. If you have any specific requirements please contact us on: 01733 673555 to discuss.
Translation Services:
All our consultations are conducted in English. If English is not your first language and you need some Translation support for your consultation please contact us on 01733 673555 to arrange translation services, please note these are usually only possible for face to face appointments. Translation services may be via an onsite Translator present during your appointment or remote support via video or telephone.
Telephone Appointments:
We try and ring you at the time specified on your appointment letter, but sometimes this is not possible and we may be a little earlier or later than the suggested time. Please make sure you are available for up to 1 hour before and after the appointment time. Consultation with your healthcare provider should be confidential. Please make sure you are somewhere private, with good phone reception, where you will not be disturbed during your consultation. If the healthcare provider feels the setting is not appropriate, they may rearrange for another time. Please note for safety reasons, a telephone call whilst driving is not acceptable.
Face to Face Appointments:
After registering in the main outpatient reception, you will be met by a member of the team and taken to a private room to discuss your skin problem. It is likely you will need to be examined. If you would like a chaperone for this, please let the team member know so they can arrange this for you. You will then be given the opportunity to discuss any treatments and investigations that the team member feels may help you and we will do our best to answer any questions you have or sign post you to information you may find helpful.
At times we support training of medical and nursing students, junior doctors and allied health professionals and they may be present during your consultation. If you would prefer for them not to be present, please let your team member know and they will arrange for them to leave the room during your consultation.
Attending for a surgical appointment
If you receive an appointment for surgery and you need to cancel or postpone your appointment, or the surgery is no longer required, please contact our booking team on: 01733 673462
If you have any mobility issues, disabilities, or require the services of an Interpreter, please contact our booking team before your appointment to make sure we can make arrangements to have suitable arrangements in place to support you.
It is normal to feel anxious about having a procedure. If you would like to ask your health care professional more questions before you decide if you want to proceed with your surgery or what other options may be available, please speak to us in the booking team.
What to expect on the day:
All our operations are performed under local anaesthetic. Usually your surgery will be carried out in an outpatient procedure room, in most cases it takes from 30-90 minutes. You can wear your usual clothes during the procedure, but please make sure the surgical site is accessible and be aware you may have bulky dressings afterwards, so loose clothing is advised. If you are having surgery on your feet, you may need to bring slippers or shoes with adjustable straps or laces for after the procedure.
You will be introduced to the healthcare professionals who will be carrying out and assisting in your procedure. The procedure will be explained to you and you will be given the opportunity to ask questions before signing a consent form to proceed with your operation.
You can eat and drink as normal before a procedure and will be allowed to go home straight afterwards. We do not recommend you drive or cycle home after a procedure, so please make sure you have made alternative arrangements. You may be advised to reduce your usual activity for a short time after a procedure, especially strenuous exercise, please speak to your healthcare professional for further information.
It is helpful to bring a list of your regular medications and any allergies with you on the day. If you take any medications that thin the blood, particularly Warfarin tablets, please contact our booking team to confirm if you need to stop any of your tablets before your appointment. In most cases this will not be necessary, but if you are on Warfarin we do require a blood test to check your INR levels 72 hours before surgery.
Some discomfort after skin surgery is common. We recommend you have a supply of paracetamol or your preferred pain killers at home for any discomfort after the procedure. Your healthcare professional will provide you with an aftercare advice sheet on how to look after your wound and what to do if you have any complications. You may have stitches in after surgery. These will often not be dissolvable and you will need to be available to have them removed (usually at your own GP surgery), 7-14 days after the procedure. If you will not be available in that time, please contact our booking team before your procedure to ensure they can check with your health care professional if it will be possible for you to have your surgery.