needs. The equates to almost 30% of patients being contacted and given appropriate care, so could be removed from the waiting list. On the back of the referral validation work, NNPC delivered a face-to-face service to further support the hospital. So far, 518 patients have been seen in face-to-face clinics which have been held locally to the James Paget University Hospital, out of the hospital base and treated patients between January and 31 st March 2024, with the work beyond this date is still continuing. This has supported patients accessing the healthcare which they require in a shorter time frame than they would have experienced had they waited for the hospital-based care. Dermatology – Teledermatology and Community Dermatology Clinics Over 2023/24 NNPC delivered a tele dermatology service in collaboration with Xyla Healthcare to enhance the referral pathways for patients in Primary Care. This enabled Primary Care access to consultant based expertise via a practice embedded digital platform. This supported GP’s in receiving expert opinion on dermatological conditions which may have otherwise been sent to hospital, having been on a waiting list for several weeks / months. The tele dermatology service reviewed 4,975 cases from 1 st April 2023 – 31 st March 2024 across the Norfolk and Waveney region, with a total of 73 practices being onboarded to use this digital platform service which supported 786 users of the referral pathway. The cases referred included 3,859 skin lesions, 860 rashes, and 256 of other dermatological conditions. Of those patients referred to the service, 3193 received a treatment plan in 0-24 hours, 1,155 between 24-48 hours 579 between 48-72 hours and 48 in excess of 72 hours but sooner than 5 days. Of those, NNPC arranged and saw 451 patients in face-to-face clinics for assessment, treatment or onward referral and 662 patients seen in lesion photography clinics between 1 st April 2023 – 31 st March 2024. This resulted in 71% of patients being retained in Primary Care. Alongside the tele dermatology referral pathway within general practice, NNPC supported the JPUH & the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) to reduce waiting times for patient who were awaiting a dermatology outpatient appointment. Throughout December 2023 and March 2024, there were 126 patients managed by the tele dermatology service, resulting in 21 of those being seen and treated in NNPC face to face clinics, and a further 30 patients being managed in Primary Care. The remaining patients were placed on the most appropriate pathway to address their healthcare needs in a timely manner via the hospital specialists. This service was decommissioned by the Norfolk and Waveney ICB on 31 st March 2024, with the plan to revert to a general practice hospital-based referral pathway.
North Norfolk Primary Care - Quality Account 2023/24
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