Nottingham group organise successful awareness day
An event aimed at educating both carers and healthcare professionals about eczema was held in the postgraduate building of the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham during National Eczema Week under the joint auspices of the Nottingham Support Group for Carers of Children with Eczema (NSGCCE) and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Stands included Current Research from the Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology (CEBD) which has received funding from the National Institute of Health Research for 5 years to conduct research into several skin diseases, including eczema. Joanne Chalmers Study Manager for the BEEP Study (Barrier Enhancement for Eczema Prevention) and Helen Nankervis also from the CEBD attended. Joanne is the study manager for the BEEP study which will be looking to see if the use of emollients from birth will prevent eczema in babies and Helen is working on updating an important systematic review of clinical trials for eczema.
The National Eczema Society was represented by its Support Manager John Fuller who distributed a range of literature including the new booklet for National Eczema Week, Itching & Scratching. Amanda Roberts was promoting the NICE guidelines for eczema, CG57. Hard copies were made available to take away along with hard copies of the most popular Patient Information Leaflets (PILs) from the NSGCCE. Amanda has an interest here because she, along with Sandra Lawton, was on the committee assigned the task of drawing up the guidelines.
Elizabeth Buckley and June Jennings, Paediatric Dermatology nurses, from the children’s dermatology department, did a great job looking after the emollient stand giving demonstrations on how to apply and use emollients effectively. This proved to be a popular focal point for all those attending.
Colin Gibb, another parent, demonstrated the website and the latest enhancements he has made to it. It is hoped that the group will be able to launch the most recent innovation, video podcasts, before Christmas. This will fit very well alongside the last major upgrade, the audio podcasts.
During each half of the day there were 2 interactive sessions. Colin Gibb and Amanda Roberts kicked them off by giving a brief overview of some of the practicalities of living with eczema and this was followed up by an open forum hosted by Sandra Lawton, Nurse Consultant (and former Society trustee) and Dr Jane Ravenscroft, Consultant Dermatologist.
The day was a huge success with an overwhelming enthusiasm and buzz to share knowledge and experiences of working or living with eczema. As a result of this early success we are having a discussion as to whether or not to do it again next year. Watch this space!
• For further details of the group, visit www.nottinghameczema.org.uk and you can sign up to its web alert (emailed news service) or contact the group through the website.
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