The BDNG is recruiting for the following positions:

• In Person Events Education Lead
• Education Nurse
• Events Manager

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Following the publication of Isotretinoin Implementation Expert Working Group report, the BDNG, BAD and PCDS have produced a series of videos to help healthcare professionals to understand and safely use the new documentation for prescribing isotretinoin. More information

This guidance has been developed as an extension to the existing ‘Clinical Dermatology Nursing Role Descriptors: Guidance on scope of practice’ to acknowledge the critical role of healthcare assistants and highlight the evolving nursing associate role in the nursing workforce , as well as their scope of practice within dermatology services. The guidance is intended to help support recruitment, retention and career development of healthcare assistants and nursing associates in the specialty highlighting the necessary training requirements for career progression.

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What is Eczema Care Online? 

www.EczemaCareOnline.org.uk is an online toolkit to support people with eczema to self-care.  The website provides Top Tips on how to live well with eczema and has been designed to be accessible, comprehensive and suitable for both adults and children.

We hope that healthcare professionals will also find this to be a useful resource to signpost patients to during clinical consultations and when prescribing/dispensing eczema treatments.

www.EczemaCareOnline.org.uk is free to access and does not require registration.

Using Eczema Care Online has been shown to improve eczema severity in a paper published in the BMJ (http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/bmj-2022-072007?ijkey=Zijf1NGvzHHLFZL&keytype=ref).

Eczema Care Online been developed as part of a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded programme grant and has been developed with extensive input from people with eczema, clinical experts, health psychologists and the most up-to-date evidence.

Health professionals can either:

Direct patients straight to the website at www.EczemaCareOnline.org.uk, or

Print out a ‘Two Treatments Used Well’ leaflet at www.eczemacareonline.org.uk/en/two-treatments-documents.  The leaflet helps health professionals to share evidence-based messages about eczema treatment and signposts people to Eczema Care Online to find out more.

The BDNG produced a series of videos highlighting the variety of roles within dermatology nursing. Click here to view these videos

BDNG in collaboration with Karger recently published Fast Facts titled Dermatological Nursing  A practical guide on career pathways.  To access this online click here.  If you would like a hard copy please contact us.

The BDNG has partnered with the BAD to form a virtual derm choir. More information

The National Eczema Society (NES) has been receiving enquiries from patients worried about using topical corticosteroids (TCS) and of the risk of Topical Steroid Withdrawal. They have also seen more activity on social media by people campaigning for greater recognition of the risks of Topical Steroid Withdrawal, coupled with a rise in potentially confusing and inaccurate information available online.

While remaining evidence-based, NES wanted to move to a position where they recognised and more openly acknowledged Topical Steroid Withdrawal, and people’s individual choice in deciding how they manage their eczema. This is a complex area and the research literature is limited.

The NES has worked jointly with the British Association of Dermatologists to produce information for patients on this topic. This statement is available as a related document on this section of the NES website

The BDNG proudly supports Skin Deep.

Skin Deep is led by the international medical education team, Don’t Forget the Bubbles (DFTB) and the Royal London Hospital (RLH). The aim is to develop a free, open-access bank of high-quality photographs of medical conditions in a range of skin tones for use by both healthcare professionals and the public. The team behind Skin Deep hopes that with time, this will improve education and recognition of conditions in all skin tones, reducing inequalities and improving patient care by ensuring that all children receive a timely diagnosis regardless of their skin colour. Visit the website,  follow on Twitter and Instagram

Sanofi Genzyme recently hosted a parliamentary roundtable looking at how to tackle NMSC in the time of Covid-19. This meeting brought together parliamentarians, healthcare professionals and patient support charities. Participants discussed the current challenges in NMSC care and explored the importance of prevention and awareness. Click here to read the report.

LEO Pharma recognises the important role of working closely with patient advocacy groups to raise awareness of the varied and often significant challenges people face living with dermatological conditions and call for positive change. We are therefore extremely proud to have partnered with the National Eczema Society to commission the ‘Eczema Unmasked’ report, with insights from over 1,000 people affected by the condition.

Eczema Unmasked raises awareness of the extensive and under-recognised impact eczema can have on all aspects of peoples’ lives including impact on people’s physical health, mental health, their quality of life, long-term life opportunities – highlighting the variation in healthcare provision and measures that must be taken to bridge these gaps in care.

Based on these findings LEO Pharma and the National Eczema Society are calling for the voices of those living with eczema to be strengthened, the development of clinical guidelines and quality standards for adults and adolescents with eczema and lastly, improve access to appropriate care and services.

Read the report

Key findings

Eczema can affect physical health: 96% of adults and 95% of children experienced itchy skin, many severely, and 67% of adults and 60% of children have had skin so sore that it bleeds.

Eczema can affect mental health: Almost three quarters of adults (74%) stating it had negatively impacted their mental health and 2/3 (66%) of patients said they were lonely/socially isolated because of their eczema. Despite this, less than half had been offered access to emotional or psychological support to help them to manage this.

Eczema can affect day to day life: 89% of adults said eczema significantly reduced their quality of life and 76% of parents said their child’s quality of life is significantly affected.

Eczema can limit life opportunities: Nearly half of adult responders (49%) said eczema had affected their ability to do paid work.

Accessing care and treatment can be challenging: Nearly a third (29%) of adults, and a third (33%) of parents say they have difficulty obtaining the emollients they need from the NHS, while over a quarter (28%) say the same about challenges accessing biologic treatment.

The BDNG has collaborated with the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) Education Board Nursing Workstream  to develop role descriptors for dermatology nurses alongside a suggested career development guide. More information

What a difference a decade makes! The Psoriasis Association have published their first ever 10 year impact report. Spanning from 2010 to 2020, the report explores how their work has made a difference to the lives of people affected by psoriasis over the last decade.
Did you know that the Psoriasis Association has funded 21 PhD Studentships in the last decade and consulted on the assessment of every biologic to treat psoriasis since they began in 2004? This report explores the charity’s achievements over the past 10 years; from empowering people to make decisions regarding their psoriasis, to helping to shape NHS guidelines that affect patient care, or funding research that drives change such as making personalised medicine a reality.
The full 10 year impact report is now available to read on the Psoriasis Association’s website.

This competency document is available to BDNG members. More information

Many of our members have reported difficulties for patients obtaining emollients in primary care. The BDNG has produced  guidance on the need for emollients. Please feel free to use this document in communications with primary care.

NHS England Consultation – Items which should not routinely be prescribed in primary care: Guidance for CCGs
Click here to view the BDNG’s response to this consultation.