Action urged for psoriasis sufferers

DOCTORS must do more to help patients with a serious skin and joint condition to get access to treatments that work, say experts.

Psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory disease causing severe itching and pain, affects more than 100,000 people in Scotland, with a fifth also suffering psoriatic arthritis, which can have a serious effect on quality of life.

But in some cases experts and campaigners say, while effective treatments are available, patients are not always referred to specialists to receive these as quickly as they should.

New guidance, developed by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), sets out advice about the care of patients with the condition.

Dr David Burden, consultant dermatologist at Glasgow's Western Infirmary who led development of the guidance, said: "Patients are often dissatisfied with the care they receive. But in the past 20 years there have been a lot of improvements in the development of treatments."

Janice Johnson, from the Psoriasis Scotland Arthritis Link Volunteers, said some patients could wait months to be referred. "Some GPs are more knowledgeable than others about psoriasis, but we need more of them to be aware of the treatments that are available and refer patients to specialists early."

Stewart Campbell, from the Psoriasis Association, said people who needed access to UV treatment could also face long delays.