Y'day I performed the first Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) excision under the @ni_gpecs BCC pathway. This pilot, in collab with @setrust & @NHSCTrust allows some GPs to remove low-risk BCCs in primary care, easing secondary care pressures. A milestone for GP-led derm care @healthdpt
Listening to @SiobhanKirk15 on eve extra and she is so correct
We were well ahead of the rest of the UK on this until we unbelievably cut funding to the GP federation clinics
We should be growing and developing these not cutting them
The solutions are there, we just miss them
@thatsnotmine125@traineENT They are responsible for the entire time, & available/contactable continuously while on shift. You wouldn't pay a shop assistant for the minutes they are only serving customers and not paying them when the shop is quiet... They get paid per shift.... Which is appropriate.
I feel these findings suggest a need for targeted interventions to improve primary care training/awareness in melanoma, esp. concerning older patients. This could ensure detection at the earliest/most treatable stage, and help @healthdpt address potential health inequalities here
There was a statistically significant difference between red flag referral rates for pts <65 🆚 75+. We know that the incidence of MM globally increases with age, highest rates in people aged 85 - 89👴🏻👵🏽. 29% of all MM cases in UK are normally diagnosed in people >74(@CR_UK data)
⬇️ Red Flag referral rates for pts >75yrs in NI, despite high incidence nationally, could indicate a huge issue in our NHS. Could some older pts not be referred as 🚩due to assumptions about their overall health, vague symptomatology or is it due to difficulty accessing the #nhs?
The data shows patients referred through non-'Red Flag' ❌🚩routes received a diagnosis with worse stage of disease (41.9% with stage 4 disease). This is extremely concerning and perhaps this outcome could be a consequence of our long wait times⏳ for non-'red flag' cases here.
#NICR report = improvement in #Melanoma survival rates, yet highlights a worrying trend: Over 1/4 of lesions in N.I. are diagnosed outside Red Flag pathways ⁉️ Is there potential gaps in ref. processes, especially for the elderly? 🚨 action needed to address health inequalities.
It is likely the observed survival rates could be attributed to better awareness, advanced treatments with our secondary care colleagues, and early detection efforts such as those by @actioncancer and the primary care phototriage service.
It was a privilege to speak at the inaugural @actioncancer international skin cancer conference🔍 Early detection was echoed by every speaker as key🔑Our @healthdpt minister @mikenesbittni is up for the challenge to tackle health inequalities across the region #forbetteroutcomes