Dr Nicola Grant, Specialty Doctor in Dermatology, NHS Lothian SAS Project supported: Photodermatology Course
I work as a Specialty Doctor in Dermatology. I carry out 2 sessions per week in Phototherapy within my department. Phototherapy was a completely new field of work to me at that time, and I soon realised that I needed additional training to equip me with the relevant theoretical knowledge and practical skills to safely deliver this service, and to provide high quality care to patients.
The phototherapy service in NHS Lothian delivers around 17,000 treatments to over 700 patients each year and through internal audit and evaluation, we know that our patients highly value this service. The delivery and supervision of this service is highly specialised and it takes time for staff to become fully trained and practice independently.
The Photobiology unit in Dundee is regarded as a Centre of Excellence, both for the delivery of phototherapy and the training of health care staff. They also run a Managed Clinical Network for Phototherapy (Photonet) who oversees its provision across Scotland, so I knew this was where I wanted to be trained.
Supported by the SAS Development Fund, I attended the Dundee Photodermatology course. It comprised of an interesting mix of lectures, practical demonstrations and clinical cases and comprehensively covered curriculum requirements. National and International speakers from the Photobiology community also participated in the programme.
As a result of having attended this course, I am now able to do the following:
• I have expanded the range of services I can offer in this subspecialty area
• I am more knowledgeable and confident when dealing with patients
• I have taken on a more varied and complex caseload
• I help my department to run more efficiently and effectively
All of above is contributing towards developing and improving the services and supporting better patient care in NHS Lothian.
This page was last updated on: 19.07.2019 at 12.46
