Dermatology

Dermatology Unit

Westcliffe Health Innovations provide a community-based Dermatology Service. We are a consultant led team of GPs and advanced nurse and pharmacy practitioners who have completed further training and assessment to provide specialist skin care. We work across Bradford and Airedale at various locations and also provide remote consultations so patients can be assessed and treated in the comfort of their own home. We see a range of skin conditions including eczema, psoriasis, acne, urticaria, hair loss, bullous disorders and also have a specialist clinic for vulval dermatoses. We offer a diagnostic and treatment service for skin lesions and provide specialist skin surgery, including the removal of some skin cancers and benign lesions. We work closely with the local hospital skin cancer clinic.

Referral to the service is by a patient’s GP, via the NHS e-Referral Service, previously known as Choose and Book.

Community based

Short waiting times

Usually less than 4 weeks for the first appointment and 2 weeks for an assessment.

Opening times

Open Monday to Friday 8am to 5:30pm and some Saturdays.

Follow-up

Follow-up appointments by phone or face to face to fit with clinical need and patient preference.

Dermatology Staff

Dr Ruth Stockwell is the clinical lead for dermatology at Westcliffe Health Innovations. She trained at Leeds Medical School and qualified in 2001. She worked in the skin cancer clinic at St Lukes Hospital Bradford for 4 years until 2007 and completed her training as a GP at Westcliffe Medical Centre in Shipley. She has the Hatfield University Diploma in skin surgery, the Cardiff Diploma in dermatology and has been a GPwER in dermatology and skin surgery since 2013 working closely with local consultants and other GPwER dermatology colleagues across Bradford. Ruth is a GP Partner at Affinity Care and bases herself in Shipley. At home she enjoys family time with her 2 daughters and occasionally finds time for gardening, running and trips to the theatre.

British Skin Foundation
The British Skin Foundation is the only UK charity that raises money to fund research into all types of skin diseases, including skin cancer. Visit Website
Psoriasis Association
We are the leading national charity and membership organisation for people affected by psoriasis in the UK. Through our work, we help people whose lives are affected by psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. We do this through funding research, providing information and raising awareness. Visit Website
Skin Support
The Skin Support website was developed by the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) using a grant awarded by the Department of Health’s Innovation Fund in 2013. The aim of the project was to bring together leading experts in the field of psychodermatology and patients, with input from patient support groups, to develop a website to support people in psychological distress due to skin conditions. Visit Website
Acne Support
Acne Support is brought to you by the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) to offer you expert, impartial advice on acne. The BAD is a charity whose objectives are the practice, teaching, training and research of dermatology. It works with the UK Department of Health, patient bodies and commissioners across the UK, advising on best practice and the provision of dermatology services. Visit Website
Lichen Sclerosus Support Group
Lichen sclerosus is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. Mainly affecting the genital skin. It affects men, women and children at any age. It is known to be a progressive condition that relapses and remits. There is no cure. Progression may lead to loss of genital features. There is a small risk of genital cancer in men and women. The internet promotes a theory that it is an auto-immune disease, nobody has yet has been able to prove it. It is not a sexual transmitted disease. You cannot pass it on to anyone. Whatever the cause, it manifests as a dermatological condition. Other factors may play a role. It was first identified in 1887. It is agreed that this is a frightening long term disorder and our aim is to help you with information and education to gain a good quality of life. Visit Website
Internaitional Society for Vulval Disease
THE WORLD’S #1 RESOURCE FOR VULVAR EDUCATION AND RESEARCH THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF VULVOVAGINAL DISEASE (ISSVD) Visit Website
British Society for The Study of Vulval Disease
We are a true multidisciplinary society largely made up from the specialties of gynaecology, dermatology, genito-urinary medicine and pathology. Our membership consists of doctors and nurses and we work closely with allied health professionals aligned to vulval disease. This multidisciplinary approach to the speciality enables excellence in clinical outcomes and workforce training. We have a strong commitment to education and training working with our medical colleges striving to achieve high quality standards of care for patients. Our membership currently stands at 288 health professionals from a variety of different specialities. Visit Website