Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Beckett St, Harehills, Leeds LS9

Project Name: Provision of Dermatology Clinical Nurse Specialist, Leeds Dermatology Service

Project Summary:

The main objective of this collaborative working project (CWP) is to improve the quality of care delivered to Psoriasis (PsO) and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) patients at the trust in line with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) and National British Association of Dermatology (BAD) guidelines. This CWP will improve the current hospital-based service at The Trust by deploying a Dermatology Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) to the Dermatology department. Additionally, the Trust will establish a business case for future funding of this extension to this service by the NHS. The band 6 Dermatology CNS will be responsible for supporting the current nurse led new patient PsO service at Chapel Allerton Hospital, developing a specialist HS nurse led service and reviewing the severe HS patients including supporting, counselling and changing biologics.

As part of the project, the nurse will complete their Nurse Prescriber Course to further enhance their value and embed them into the Dermatology service.

An amendment to this project was implemented in April 2025, removing a ‘Pathway Mapping’ element of the original project due to capacity challenges at The Trust. 

Planned Milestones:

Expected Benefits:

Anticipated benefits for patients:

• Improved access to diagnosis, treatment and ongoing optimised management of PsO, HS.
• More equitable and consistent access to care, 
• Enhanced experience for patients and their carers who live with PsO, HS.
• Access to a bespoke service for HS patients across Yorkshire.

Anticipated benefits for the organisation:

• Increase the overall quality of care for PsO and HS patients in Yorkshire,
• Improve equity of access to specialist care for patients with HS, 
• Decrease patient waiting times,
• Decrease number of unnecessary out-patient appointments and hospital in-patient stays.

Anticipated benefits for Novartis:

• Increased appropriate use of licensed medicines in line with NICE guidelines, including Novartis’ therapies,
• Improved reputation, by being seen as a partner of choice by the Dermatology clinical community through working with the NHS to help improve patient care. 
• Improved professional and transparent relationship and trust between Novartis and the NHS

Start Date & Duration: December 2023 for 29 months

FA-11450443

Project Name: Provision of Dermatology Clinical Nurse Specialist, Leeds Dermatology Service

Organisation(s): Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Beckett St, Harehills, Leeds LS9

Completion Date: May 2026

Outcome Summary: 

The Leeds Dermatology hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) nurse-led Collaborative Working Project has expanded clinical capacity and improved patient care by delivering a more efficient service and increasing the number of HS clinics.

Throughout the project, there has been a progressive increase in the number of clinics delivered and, consequently, in the number of patients seen, alongside a reduction and subsequent stabilisation in waiting times for both new and follow-up appointments.

Despite concluding 3 months earlier than planned due to staff turnover, the project has enhanced timely access to specialist care, supported rising demand, and improved patient experience and care through structured follow-up and increased satisfaction monitoring.

Key Project Outcomes Data: 

• 132 HS clinics delivered, with 236 new patients seen over the duration of clinical activity.
• 113 PsO clinics delivered, with 186 new patients.
• Waiting times for first appointments reduced significantly, from a baseline of up to 64 weeks to a maximum of 38 weeks.

Outcomes: 

The Leeds Dermatology nurse-led HS project has delivered measurable benefits for patients, the NHS, and Novartis.

• For patients, access to timely specialist care has improved through reduced waiting times, increased clinic availability, and more structured follow-up and monitoring, resulting in a better overall care experience.
• For the NHS, the model has improved capacity, reduced pressure on Consultant-led services, and improved operational efficiency through a scalable, nurse-led approach that supports growing demand and optimises resource use.
• For Novartis, this Collaborative Working Project has enabled system-level improvements aligned with best practice disease management. These include increased uptake of NICE-recommended treatments, more effective patient pathways, and the generation of real-world evidence demonstrating the value of collaborative care models.

Conclusion: 

The Leeds Dermatology nurse‑led HS project has proven to be an effective model that improves patient access and experience, enhances NHS service efficiency, and demonstrates the value of collaborative industry support in delivering high‑quality, data‑driven care.

FA-11713196 | June 2026