For more information please contact CMC on 0203 327 7777 or by email at info@centennialmedical.co.uk or see their website at www.centennialmedical.co.uk. Alternatively you can contact Miss Anthony by email at starclinic@drsamanthonyskin.com or see her website at www.drsamanthonyskin.com
An overview of the service:
This is a patient-funded service for the removal of benign cosmetic/asymptomatic skin lesions with no diagnostic uncertainty, that do not otherwise fit criteria for removal in the GP surgery, secondary care (hospital) dermatology department, or that have been declined funding by the local Care Commissioning Group (CCG) following application.
Where?
Centennial Medical Centre, Centennial Park, Cenntennial Way, Elstree, WD6 3FG and
When?
Usually Saturday mornings. Clinic days and times may vary-please contact CMC
Who?
Miss Anthony will carry out all consultations, procedures and treatments, accompanied by a qualified nurse or suitably trained health care assistant experienced in skin surgery.
How to get an appointment
Appointments are arranged following GP referral only, using the GP proforma, or by letter, either of which may be emailed, faxed or sent by post. This is to minimise diagnostic uncertainty in order to ensure that the lesion is appropriate for the service, as well as to ensure that in the GP's opinion patients have no alternative option for free treatment available to them before being referred. Any patient may still be referred at their request, provided the options available to them had been fully explained, and that a secondary care (hospital) opinion was not necessary.
Booking Appointments
Patients will be contacted to arrange their appointment after receipt of their GP referral-please remember to provide a phone number and email address. Most communication is done by email.
What lesions? What Procedures?
See patient leaflet: Benign sebaceous cyst, lipoma, seborrhoiec keratosis, benign intradermal naevus, dermatofibroma, skin tags, spider naevus, haemangioma. GP's should indicate site and number of lesions. Procedures include excision (cutting out) & stitching, shave (removing flush to the skin surface), curettage (scraping), snip, hyfrecation (electric cautery)-procedure to be determined at consultation; most will require local anaesthetic. All patients are fully consented.
**NB All lesions excised, curetted or shaved, excluding simple small skin tags will be sent for laboratory diagnosis-this cost is included and is non-optional.
Which patients?
Aged over 16, not on warfarin, no pacemaker, not pregnant, no known allergy to local anaesthetic. Most other patients would be suitable but a medical and drug history would be taken at the initial consultation.
What would not be removed?
**Any lesion with rapid and/or recent change in size, shape or colour, or any lesion with diagnostic uncertainty needs referral to secondary care.
**This service is not to be considered as a second opinion for a lesion with any diagnostic uncertainty, nor for a general dermatological opinion or general mole check.
If at consultation a lesion is deemed to be inappropriate for this service for example either more appropriate for a secondary care dermatology opinion, or if better done by another type of practitioner, recommendations will be made to both patient and GP, and a basic consultation fee will be charged, but no procedure will be offered.
Conveying results
Both patient and GP will be informed in writing of their diagnosis after their procedure, and the patient will be directed to further information about their lesion. At this point the patient is considered discharged.
What if a lesion turns out to be suspicious?
Removal of a suspicious lesion would be unintentional, but patients will be consented for such a possibility.
Skin lesions are examined examined both clinically and with the specialised magnifier known as a Dermatoscope, and used together, these can give a good impression of what the skin lesion is before it has been removed. However, it is not always possible to know this with accuracy until the lesion is removed and examined under the microscope, and on occasion, even if diagnosed clinically with certainty, some lesions can display unexpected features and activity under the microscope examination (histological examination).
If the lesion removed histologically shows suspicious, atypical or malignant features, this will be unknowing and unintended at the outset as the procedure will only be offered if the lesion is thought to be clinically benign. GP and patient will be informed and asked to refer on to secondary care dermatology for further management. If necessary a further consultation appointment will be offered to the patient at no extra cost to explain the result.
*Please note that if suspicious features are seen under the microscope, the laboratory may request to do some additional laboratory testing to the standard tests done for more straightforward lesions, and this may incur an additional cost to the patient. This is an unusual situation in this clinic, however the patient will be notified if there is an additional cost to pay the clinic should further tests be advised on the skin lesion.
Follow-up
Other than removal of sutures, none is arranged under this service unless deemed necessary by the surgeon (no extra charge), or at the patient’s request (may carry an extra fee). All patients will be provided with written information on the service and costs, as well as post op advice on wound care. Any patients with concerns may contact us directly, but please note we cannot see them any time other than that arranged.
We are happy to provide information to you-please contact CMC on 0203 327 7777 or by email at info@centennialmedical.co.uk or see their website at www.centennialmedical.co.uk. Alternatively you can contact Miss Anthony by email at starclinic@drsamanthonyskin.com or see her website at www.drsamanthonyskin.com
An overview of the service:
This is a patient-funded service for the removal of benign cosmetic/asymptomatic skin lesions with no diagnostic uncertainty, that do not otherwise fit criteria for removal in the GP surgery, secondary care (hospital) dermatology department, or that have been declined funding by the local Care Commissioning Group (CCG) following application.
Where?
Centennial Medical Centre, Centennial Park, Cenntennial Way, Elstree, WD6 3FG and
When?
Usually Saturday mornings. Clinic days and times may vary-please contact CMC
Who?
Miss Anthony will carry out all consultations, procedures and treatments, accompanied by a qualified nurse or suitably trained health care assistant experienced in skin surgery.
How to get an appointment
Appointments are arranged following GP referral only, using the GP proforma, or by letter, either of which may be emailed, faxed or sent by post. This is to minimise diagnostic uncertainty in order to ensure that the lesion is appropriate for the service, as well as to ensure that in the GP's opinion patients have no alternative option for free treatment available to them before being referred. Any patient may still be referred at their request, provided the options available to them had been fully explained, and that a secondary care (hospital) opinion was not necessary.
Booking Appointments
Patients will be contacted to arrange their appointment after receipt of their GP referral-please remember to provide a phone number and email address. Most communication is done by email.
What lesions? What Procedures?
See patient leaflet: Benign sebaceous cyst, lipoma, seborrhoiec keratosis, benign intradermal naevus, dermatofibroma, skin tags, spider naevus, haemangioma. GP's should indicate site and number of lesions. Procedures include excision (cutting out) & stitching, shave (removing flush to the skin surface), curettage (scraping), snip, hyfrecation (electric cautery)-procedure to be determined at consultation; most will require local anaesthetic. All patients are fully consented.
**NB All lesions excised, curetted or shaved, excluding simple small skin tags will be sent for laboratory diagnosis-this cost is included and is non-optional.
Which patients?
Aged over 16, not on warfarin, no pacemaker, not pregnant, no known allergy to local anaesthetic. Most other patients would be suitable but a medical and drug history would be taken at the initial consultation.
What would not be removed?
**Any lesion with rapid and/or recent change in size, shape or colour, or any lesion with diagnostic uncertainty needs referral to secondary care.
**This service is not to be considered as a second opinion for a lesion with any diagnostic uncertainty, nor for a general dermatological opinion or general mole check.
If at consultation a lesion is deemed to be inappropriate for this service for example either more appropriate for a secondary care dermatology opinion, or if better done by another type of practitioner, recommendations will be made to both patient and GP, and a basic consultation fee will be charged, but no procedure will be offered.
Conveying results
Both patient and GP will be informed in writing of their diagnosis after their procedure, and the patient will be directed to further information about their lesion. At this point the patient is considered discharged.
What if a lesion turns out to be suspicious?
Removal of a suspicious lesion would be unintentional, but patients will be consented for such a possibility.
Skin lesions are examined examined both clinically and with the specialised magnifier known as a Dermatoscope, and used together, these can give a good impression of what the skin lesion is before it has been removed. However, it is not always possible to know this with accuracy until the lesion is removed and examined under the microscope, and on occasion, even if diagnosed clinically with certainty, some lesions can display unexpected features and activity under the microscope examination (histological examination).
If the lesion removed histologically shows suspicious, atypical or malignant features, this will be unknowing and unintended at the outset as the procedure will only be offered if the lesion is thought to be clinically benign. GP and patient will be informed and asked to refer on to secondary care dermatology for further management. If necessary a further consultation appointment will be offered to the patient at no extra cost to explain the result.
*Please note that if suspicious features are seen under the microscope, the laboratory may request to do some additional laboratory testing to the standard tests done for more straightforward lesions, and this may incur an additional cost to the patient. This is an unusual situation in this clinic, however the patient will be notified if there is an additional cost to pay the clinic should further tests be advised on the skin lesion.
Follow-up
Other than removal of sutures, none is arranged under this service unless deemed necessary by the surgeon (no extra charge), or at the patient’s request (may carry an extra fee). All patients will be provided with written information on the service and costs, as well as post op advice on wound care. Any patients with concerns may contact us directly, but please note we cannot see them any time other than that arranged.
We are happy to provide information to you-please contact CMC on 0203 327 7777 or by email at info@centennialmedical.co.uk or see their website at www.centennialmedical.co.uk. Alternatively you can contact Miss Anthony by email at starclinic@drsamanthonyskin.com or see her website at www.drsamanthonyskin.com
