I attended the surgery after a very long waiting time (3-4 months) with some unknown allergic bumps - well, I have my own theory, that they are bed bug bites - and plenty of evidence and background history to confirm this. It was complicated by my generally sensitive skin and eczema.
The dermatologist has to start from scratch - they don't know my vital statistics - e.g. my age or other medication I'm on, or when I first got eczema or the signs of these allergic bumps. Have to cover 30 years of medical history and how much time do we have for all this, plus physical examination, and discussion - showing photos/explaining the rather complicated issue.
Not to fault the consultant personally, their personal manner was courteous and understanding. I don't think they really had effective time to engage with the issue so as a result I wasn't entirely happy.
I will be raising this with PALS with more details.
It would be good if dermatologists generally understood bed bugs more than they do - and the increasing prevalence which is on the rise, particularly in cities like London with international travel quite common, and also that pest control research has shown current treatments are ineffective. For example bed bug sprays aren't working as the bugs develop resilience.
"Unsatisfied Customer - consultant has no time"
About: St Mary's Hospital (HQ) / Dermatology St Mary's Hospital (HQ) Dermatology W2 1NY
Posted via nhs.uk
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