How to book

Booking your Appointment

If your GP feels that your skin problem is appropriate for the service then they will be able to provide us with a referral letter via fax, email or post. Once a referral letter is received we will then be able to book you an appointment for you to see a specialist at one of our community clinic locations. Another option for your GP is the “e-Referral Service” (ERS) system (see below).


Community Clinics


Once we have received your referral letter from your GP, we will send you a letter through the post detailing the exact time and location of your appointment. We always aim to book your appointment at a community clinic that is close to your home.
Please be advised that as a community service we are unfortunately unable to provide a patient transport service. All of our community clinics do however have full disabled facilities and the admin team is always happy to provide help and advice regarding transport over the phone.
Please feel free to give our admin team a call on 01903 703 270 to discuss specific referrals or for more information about the service and our clinic locations.
The NHS will not pay for cosmetic treatments of skin lesions or problems. We must have received a referral letter from your GP before we can offer you an appointment (even through e-Referral Service)

e-Referral Service (ERS)

Some GP’s may use a national booking system called “e-Referral Service” to refer you to us. e-Referral Service can either be used by your doctor to refer you directly into our service, or alternatively it can be used to give you a choice of several specialist dermatology providers in your local area.
If you have been referred by ERS then you will need to call us with your unique booking reference and password that your doctor has provided for you. Please be aware however that we cannot act on your referral until we have received a full referral letter from your GP giving detailed reasons for your referral. This will be send to us by your GP either attaching the referral letter onto ERS, or by sending it directly via fax, email or post. This process usually takes a few days so you may be advised to call us back in a few days time to check  if we have received your referral letter and can book you an appointment.


What is the e-Referral Service?


Once you have been referred to a specialist by your GP you will be given an ERS booking reference number and a password, this allows you to choose the date, time and location of your appointment over the phone.


How does the e-Referral Service work?


Through ERS the details of your referral is assigned a booking reference number and sent to us electronically from your GP practice. This means that through providing your booking reference number, we can access the details of your referral and book a suitable appointment with you. ERS has strict national and international standards for the transfer and holding of accurate information electronically; as well as meeting the conditions of the 1998 Data Protection Act.
If you prefer, the option of your GP sending us a referral letter this of course will still be available.


Contact us


Once you have received your booking reference number and password from your GP, please call one of our Patient Helplines depending on where your appointment is and we will be able to book a suitable appointment with you:

Sussex Community Dermatology Service – 01903 703270
Surrey Dermatology Service – 01483 275977
West Kent Dermatology Service – 01732 651041 (Option 2)
North Kent Dermatology Service – 01483 275977 (Option 1)

You can also use the Patient Helpline if you need to cancel or change your appointment. Please note that we ask for a minimum of 48 hours notice if you would like to rearrange or rebook your appointment so that we can offer the appointment to another patient.
We have many locations in South East England so there may be more than one location which is local to you and suitable for your appointment; we will discuss this with you when booking your appointment.
If you do not have your reference number or password, please contact your GP practice so that they can provide you with these before you call us.