Information for referrers – Solihull Community Skin Service

Clinical Reference Guidelines 

This intermediate service is delivered by GPs with Extended Roles (GPwERs) in Dermatology. It aims to provide local, high-quality specialist assessment for patients with non-complex dermatological needs, significantly reducing wait times compared to secondary care. 

Inclusion criteria
Referrals are accepted for patients whose conditions require specialist management but do not necessitate hospital-based secondary care intervention:

• Inflammatory Conditions: Moderate to severe Acne, Psoriasis, Eczema, or Dermatitis requiring specialist escalation.
• Low-Risk Lesions: Basal Cell Carcinomas (BCCs) that are low-risk (e.g., on the trunk or limbs).
• Diagnostic Uncertainty: Unknown lesions that do not meet the 2-week wait (2WW) criteria for suspected malignancy. 

Exclusion criteria
Do NOT refer patients with the following to this service:

• Suspected Malignancy (2WW): All lesions meeting 2WW criteria must be referred via the urgent suspected cancer pathway.
• High-Risk BCCs: Lesions located on the head and neck or those that are large/recurrent.
• Tertiary/Complex Needs: Patients requiring biologics, phototherapy, patch/prick testing, or those with systemic disease (e.g., Lupus).
• Cosmetic Issues: Removal of benign lesions (e.g., skin tags, uncomplicated moles) for aesthetic reasons.

How to refer

Referrals should be submitted via the SoliHealth entry on the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS).

• Required Information: Please include a detailed history of previous treatments, durations, and clinical outcomes.
• Imaging: Attaching high-quality clinical photographs to the e-RS request is strongly encouraged to aid triage.

Our locations

We operate from two hubs to ensure easy access for patients across the borough: