Written question asked by Bruce George (Labour) on Wednesday, 2 September 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 9 September 2009. It was answered by Mike O'Brien (Labour) on Wednesday, 9 September 2009 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dermatology: Manpower

Question: (2) what steps he is taking to increase the number of specialist nurses in dermatology.

Answer: Local health care commissioners and providers are responsible for the provision of services appropriate to the needs of their local health communities, taking into account relevant national guidance. The Government have made clear, in a series of publications beginning with the White Paper ““Our health, our care, our say”” in January 2006, their commitment to providing a greater proportion of services close to where people live, where it is appropriate and safe to do so. General guidance on the provision of services using general practitioners with special interests was given in ““Implementing care closer to home: convenient quality care for patients”” and guidance on the role of specialist nurses is described in ““Long term neurological conditions: a good practice guide to the development of the multidisciplinary team and the value of the specialist nurse””. Specific guidance on dermatology services was given in July 2008 in ““Delivering care closer to home: meeting the challenge””, and in the associated resource pack ““Providing care for patients with skin conditions””.

Secondary information