This has had a knock-on effect on eczema patients and the service that they have received, with just under half of patients surveyed saying that the pandemic has made it more difficult to access services and treatments. This hints at the limitations of digital consultation which may not be suitable as a long-term solution.Ģ6/30 HCPs we surveyed said COVID-19 has made it moderately to extremely difficult to identify patientsĪdditionally, there have been difficulties faced during the pandemic, where some services (those deemed acute, or essential like cancer and emergency services) were prioritised above others. One of the reasons for this may be the difficulty in assessing a very visual disease remotely. While there is recognition that healthcare professionals delivering services have been doing their best in very difficult circumstances, the limitations of sustained interaction by phone have become apparent. The challenges faced by the NHS due to the COVID-19 pandemic are well known9 and for patients living with moderate-to-severe eczema, those challenges have been particularly acute, with specific issues identified in diagnosing and referring patients, as well as in access to services. Crucially, it will present actionable healthcare solutions to address the issues faced by patients, reform the patient pathway, and improve lives.ģ0 out of 30 healthcare professionals felt there was not adequate mental health support provided for patients with eczema. This report aims to provide an insight into the lived experiences of patients with moderate-to-severe eczema and highlight the significant impact on day-to-day life.
#SKIN DEEP SKIN SKIN#
Therefore, it is critical PCNs take a leadership role in supporting patients with skin conditions, especially as the burden of presentations and management occurs in primary care. As part of this change, Primary Care Networks (PCNs) will become the centre of service delivery and assessing local population health. Of the healthcare professionals surveyed in this report alone, the majority said the pandemic has made it difficult to both identify and diagnose patients, and patients themselves have struggled with the lack of face-to-face appointments for skin conditions.Īs we reset from the pandemic, the reconfiguration of the healthcare system from Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) to new Integrated Care Systems (ICS), provides an opportunity to not only recover services but to improve them. Since our first report on severe eczema Seeing Red in 2017, the healthcare system has faced major challenges, none more severe than the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced clinicians to suspend face-to-face consultations and led to a backlog in the identification, diagnosis and treatment of patients. 50% of 179 waited more than a year for a treatment regime that made their eczema manageable.
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