Partnership for Better Care

I am partnering up in my Reigate clinic with Dr Zoe Poole (clinical psychologist) to implement protocols and standard practices to ensure patient safety. One of the main responsibilities of any practitioner is to make sure your treatment is the correct one for each patient that walks through your door.

How do you know? How can you tell?

It all starts with a consultation and specific questions designed to flag up issues. With knowledge of evidence-based research as to who is most vulnerable and what the main criteria is, practitioners can be aware of patients mental health as well as their visible concerns.

If a patient is flagged as being vulnerable or at psychological risk from receiving treatment it is imperative practitioners can spot this and refer them onto the appropriate specialist.

The aim is to provide the best outcomes for patients with a visible difference by equipping practitioners with research-based protocols.

Working collectively as a multi-disciplinary team alongside psychologists, oncologists, dermatologists, plastic surgeons, scar specialists, occupational therapists and service users to provide evidence-based research as to how best to provide a holistic service within the industry will long term produce more positive outcomes for all patients.

“We have found that psychological difficulties can lead to people concentrating on perceived or real physical differences, or physical differences can lead to psychological problems. We are working to marry many disciplines in health, emotional and cosmetic services so the best possible treatment can be given to each person in need. This may happen by working in conjunction with each other or by a referral system.”

Patients need to be advised and sometimes what they initially think they want, is not necessarily the best treatment for them. How many practitioners these days tell their patients to rethink, to look at other options, or seek psychological help, or sometimes to leave the area alone and ‘do nothing’?

I hope if you are reading this, you can safely say yes, you would do the right thing each and every time someone walks through your door.