Urgent dermatology- 10 month wait?

[caniquitwork]

I have something on my face, been there for years unchanged. Saw gp who got advice from hospital consultant who said probably sun lesion but as uneven in shape and colour should be seen, urgent referral. Have now been given an appointment in October? Should I challenge it? Go private? Or just accept it?

Unfortunately this is just the state of things, if you’re concerned I’d go private.

If it’s a bcc it’s not that time urgent as they’re slow growing, if it’s been there years that’s what it most likely would be

However if you can afford it, it may be worth going private, for peace of mind, so you’re not waiting worrying, I went private last year to a dermatologist as my gp wasn’t good at skin issues or listening it was around 200 for the initial appt if you need further treatment or biopsies though it would cost more.

For a BCC on the face, or a concern about a pre-cancerous lesion from sun damage, they take years to grow. They go on a routine referral not a 2WW, it's in the NICE Guidance.

I’ve had urgent dermatology appointments and so has DH. Appointments are always within a few days.

@caniquitwork , my 7 year old granddaughter was referred by her GP for an urgent dermatology appointment, it has come for the end of June. We took her privately but even that appointment was really difficult to find in a timely fashion with most consultants having a two month wait. It was a very good use of £240.00.

It's not an urgent referral as that would be a two week wait, it's a routine referral.

Based on my experience, I think 10 months isn’t too bad.

I had a lesion on my face which was repeatedly bleeding and then scabbing over. My GP suspected a solar keratosis and I had cryotherapy about three times and it kept recurring so eventually she put a referral through to dermatology.

I can’t remember how long the wait was (at least two years) but I had a phone call earlier this year ‘to see if I still wanted the appointment’. They weren’t actually offering me an appointment!

You either need to wait or go private. Tgat’s just how it is.

An urgent referral is not a cancer pathway referral.

Me personally, I would challenge it and/or go private. I had something very similar, except I didn’t even get a referral, was simply told it was a ‘sun spot’ and to wear a hat. 🙄

I gave it 6 months and it continued to grow and then got irritated and started to bleed. Went back to the GP and they finally referred me (was seen at the hospital 5 days later, surgery 3 weeks after that). It was melanoma, by that point, stage 3c as had spread to a lymph node. 12 months of treatment and I’m currently waiting on another biopsy to see if it’s come back again.

I would always get things checked. Trust your gut and make a fuss. My impression from speaking to the skin cancer team in dermatology is that they are frustrated with GPs not referring things that just need checking out. It’s very easy and non-invasive to have an initial look at a lesion at the hospital level, but too many GPs gatekeeping those referrals when a higher level of specialist expertise is needed.

I'd query it before thinking of alternatives. Clearly they haven't put it through as an urgent referral.

Go private if you can