Skin service could move

A HEALTH service shake-up could see Wigan patients forced to travel out of the borough for skin disease treatment.

NHS bosses are weighing up options to reform the area’s dermatology services as a nationwide lack of specialists has put pressure on the system.

Options are set to go out to public consultation before the end of the year with the potential for a reduction in sites across Wigan, Bolton and Salford.

Members of the council’s health scrutiny committee were given an update on the plans this week and were informed a shortfall of consultants comes against a backdrop of increasing demand.

Salford Royal is already the dermatology specialist hospital in Greater Manchester, with counterparts in Bolton and Wigan providing routine care.

The options under consideration by local health bosses include moving to a two site model, a single site model or a ‘hub and spoke’ model with a main centre and satellite clinics.

Remaining options are ‘decommission and recommission current services’, ‘roll-out a new workforce strategy’ or ‘do nothing’.

Consultations are currently taking place with patients and clinicians to identify the most viable options before they are put out for a public consultation.

The Healthier Together reforms in 2015 saw Wigan, Salford and Bolton grouped together and operate as a ‘single service partnership.