Rising referrals, 'winter itch', and getting comms right...

As I write this in mid-February the NHS is struggling through the demands of winter (although to date it has been very mild), with record attendances in ED and great pressure on acute Trusts over ambulance handover times. Things do seem to be about to change with a recognition in the NHS Annual Plan that more beds will be needed (reversing a couple of decades of year-on-year reductions in bed numbers) and even the promise of capital to address some of the backlog estate maintenance. I can’t wait! This is traditionally a quiet time for dermatology – the number of referrals tending to increase when the better weather arrives and people get a shock when they take off their winter clothing! However, we seem to have been in demand all through this winter.