A new Dermatology Improvement Collaborative for the South East is being set up by the Health Innovation Network (the AHSN for south London). It follows an approach to the AHSN Network from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Dermatology Initiative to enquire about assistance to improve care for people with long-term skin conditions.

This proposed Collaborative will build on the recommendations in the report ‘Making real our shared vision for the NHS: optimising the treatment and care of people with long-term skin conditions in England’ which was produced by an independent expert working group supported by the ABPI Dermatology Initiative.

A programme based on the report provides NHS trusts with a framework which allows them to improve their dermatology service utilising their existing improvement methodology. It also offers trusts an opportunity to explore how to use technologies, such as tele-dermatology or one-stop clinics, to deliver NICE-compliant dermatology services that are accessible, high quality and cost effective.

The Collaborative is taking a two stage approach:
• Phase 1 – Stakeholder engagement, scoping, mapping, and needs analysis.
• Phase 2 – Workshop delivery, transformation project support, case study production and final report.

Membership of the Collaborative is open to colleagues across the south east who are interested in improving dermatology services.

The commitment to join the Collaborative includes:
• Multi-disciplinary team attending the virtual 4 workshops (afternoon of 23rd September, 22nd October, 3rd December and January date TBC) – the workshops involve presentations from best practice examples, national context, quality improvement methodology and most importantly facilitated group work.
• Delivering a service improvement to their dermatology service within quality improvement framework.
• Regular engagement with the project team.
• Provide information for case studies on their service improvement.

To join the Collaborative, or if you have any questions or would like to find out more, please do not hesitate to reach out to either Dr Charlotte Roberts, Senior Programme Manager at KSS AHSN, charlotte.roberts18@nhs.net, or Lesley Soden, Programme Director at HIN, lesley.soden@nhs.net