Journal of plastic, reconstructive & aesthetic surgery : JPRAS
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J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg · Mar 2021
LetterRestitution of the NHS breast reconstruction service during the recovery phase of the Covid 19 pandemic.
During the recovery restitution phase of the coronavirus pandemic, breast reconstruction teams have faced particular challenges to restarting this essential service. This is due to the length and complexity of the surgery, along with the demands on healthcare staff. The Royal College of Surgeons have classified immediate breast reconstruction as priority 2 and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence have provided a pre-operative pathway for resumption of elective procedures. We therefore describe our experience in restarting our service for providing a breast reconstruction service from the 29th June 2020.
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J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg · Mar 2021
LetterMajor fall in urgent skin cancer referrals during the COVID-19 outbreak.
The SARS-CoV-2 cornovirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly affected referrals of new suspected cancers from primary care to specialist services in the National Health Service (NHS) across the UK. Amongst the many factors causing delay, such as fear and uncertainty about COVID-19 transmission, reluctance to seek medical attention for cancer sypmtoms and avoiding additional pressure on NHS services, we anticipate a surge in urgent skin cancer referrals to our plastic surgery service as we enter a post-COVID recovery phase. On the basis of previous referral data and statistical forecasting, we share our predicted numbers against our actual number of urgent skin cancer referrals for the COVID-19 period and, based on this analysis, encourage all cancer services to prepare and allocate resources appropriately for the busy months to follow.