Most cases can wait for this length of time but if it is imperative that a patient must be seen that day or within 24 hours, then please phone the Department Secretaries and give the details, or even better, send us a Fax. If it is necessary to speak to one of us then ask to be transferred to the Clinic. Telephone enquiries concerning diagnoses are not possible or helpful but, occasionally, advice may be given concerning treatment which may prevent a patient from having a hospital visit. Even better, however, are queries sent in by letter or Fax, as these are dealt with promptly on a daily basis. It is very helpful if you include details of previous treatments, including for how long the treatments have been tried.
Patients often forget.
We will make sure that you hear from us promptly with a diagnosis and treatment plan and follow up arrangements. This Clinic is run weekly when twenty to thirty patients are seen. Between one and two melanomas are diagnosed each week and about a third of referred patients require an excision biopsy. We do, however, receive many referrals of trivial and clearly benign pigmented lesions with no worrying features at all. Guidelines for referral are given under Pigmented Lesions .