Improving outcomes for people with skin tumours including melanoma

to estimate a separate cost for services for skin cancer patients. There
is no charge for this service, to the patient or the NHS, although
some patients make a donation. Training for nurses in skin
camouflage techniques is in addition offered by the British
Association of Skin Camouflage, also a voluntary agency.
Improving Outcomes for
People with Skin Tumours
including Melanoma
Patient-centred care
Commissioners should take into consideration this significant
contribution from the voluntary sector; if this funding ceases to be
available, commissioners will need to find the requisite resources.
Research
The resource implications of the research recommendation have not
been formally costed; it is likely to have cost implications for the
research funding agencies.
2
Quality assurance
No formal estimate has been made of the resource implications of
introducing patient surveys as a routine part of the quality assurance
process of skin cancer services. However, no major resource
implications are anticipated.
F. Audit and research priorities
Audit priorities include:
• access to information sources and information about the quality
of patients’ experiences
• access to appropriate supportive care for patients undergoing
disfiguring treatment
• offer of entry into clinical trials for appropriate patients.
In terms of research, there is an urgent need for larger studies on the
experiences of patients with precancerous lesions and skin cancer. In
particular there is a need to look at the impact on quality of life of
living with surveillance for future cancers. Studies are also needed to
determine the benefit of self- or clinician-conducted surveillance.
There is a need to gain a better understanding of the needs of
patients with advanced disease and/or those requiring major and/or
disfiguring treatment. Research should also be undertaken to assess
the impact of interventions to reduce psychological morbidity and to
improve psychosocial well-being.
Guidance on cancer services: skin tumours including melanoma
45