Patients with skin disease deserve better treatment

PA 273/09 Better access to specialists, more relevant training for health professionals and the introduction of reliable data to manage services effectively — these are the recommendations of a major review carried out by experts at The University of Nottingham into health care for patients with skin disease. Skin disease is one of the commonest problems seen in Primary Care. Nearly a quarter of the population in England and Wales went to their GP with a skin problem in 2006 — the most common reasons being skin infections and eczema. The quality of life for people with skin disease such as psoriasis, atopic eczema and acne can be significantly impaired leading to psychological problems, disability and loss of earnings. It led to nearly 4,000 deaths in the UK in 2005. The report Skin conditions in the UK: a Health Care Needs Assessment was led by Dr Julia Schofield, who is now at the University of Hertfordshire, and a team of experts based in the Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology (CEBD) in Nottingham. Their findings will be presented today at the University of Hertfordshire.