Dermatology Nursing Education

Dermatology Nursing Education

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Introduction to the programme:

The National Dermatology Improvement Nurse Project commenced in January 2018, with the aim to develop and deliver a range of high-quality, flexible, accessible and coordinated education for dermatology nurses working in specialist departments in secondary care across Scotland, Northern Ireland and the bordering counties of the Republic of Ireland. High quality, flexible, accessible and coordinated education was required to support new ways of working and to ensure all dermatology nurse roles are consistent, fit for purpose, responsive to need in line with national policy and to address the challenges of rising demand on services, workforce issues, geography and financial constraints on dermatology services. There are two nurses supporting the work; one is hosted in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and the other in NHS Ayrshire and Arran, although both have responsibility for developing services across both Scotland and the regions of Ireland covered by the Cooperating and Working Together initiative (CAWT). The project has developed a programme of education for nurses in bands 2-7, involving a mix of e-learning, study days, virtual education sessions, speciality specific courses and academic education delivered by University of Stirling.

Scoping Exercise

There are over 300 nurses employed to provide dermatology services in secondary care across Scotland within the 12 health boards which offer a dedicated dermatology service. Within the first year of the project an extensive scoping exercise was carried out using questionnaires and meetings with Department Nursing and Medical Leads, and Senior Nurses to identify nurse staffing and activity, current service provision and anticipated future developments. This also identified current education resources (both in internal and external), gaps in current training provision, demand for education on all levels and future training needs. The facilitation of focus groups with nursing staff in bands 2-5 identified the barriers and facilitators to education to maximise uptake and ensure it sustainable, relevant and fit for purpose. In addition to this the use of a survey enabled the Team to outline the dermatology care provision and educational requirements within primary care.

Essentials of Dermatology - eLearning module

“Essentials of Dermatology” is a new e-learning module currently available on Learn Pro and soon to be on Turas. It aims to give an overview of basic dermatology, covering areas such as the structure and function of the skin, common skin disease, emollients and topical therapies. It is aimed at dermatology healthcare support workers but is likely to also be relevant to Allied Health Professionals, Registered Nurses and Health Care Support Workers in other specialities and in Primary Care. The module provides an understanding of the following areas:

· anatomy and physiology of the skin

· eczema

· psoriasis

· blistering conditions

· emollients

· introduction to topical therapies

For Health Boards with access to LearnPro, please contact you Learning and Development team to ask how best to access the training. The module is also available on TURAS via the link below.

Note: You will need to login with your Turas account to view the Dermatology module below.

This account is the same as your Turas Appraisal account. If you do not have an account then please register for a free Turas account.

Forthcoming: Principles of Dermatology: Dermatology in Clinical Practice

Essentials in Dermatology will be followed later this year by a second module aimed at Registered Nurses and other clinicians who are involved in the treatment and management of skin disease in Primary and Secondary care.

Resources

Please see the following useful resources:

· Link to the main Modernising Patient Pathways Dermatology page

· Further information about the Cooperating and Working Together Programme and the Acute Hospitals Services Project can be found here

For further information about Dermatology Nursing education please contact: dianne.Ross@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

The programme is delivered as part of the Modernising Patient Pathways Programme, within the Centre for Sustainable Delivery and is supported by the European Union’s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body.