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Eczema

Checked: 23-08-2021 by Vicky Ryan Next Review: 23-08-2022

Principles of Management

There are guidelines on Eczema Management in Children provided by Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.

There is also a very helpful Eczema Written Action Plan (EWAP) developed by researchers at Bristol University to support the management of children's eczema (a bit like the asthma management plan). It is a patient-held plan which explains how to treat eczema depending on how bad the symptoms are at any given time, and when to contact the GP surgery for help. You can download the EWAP and information videos at the link above.

See also the following local prescribing guidelines for advice on use of :

Emollients

Topical Steroids

Calcineurin Inhibitors (tacrolimus and pimecrolimus)

If eczema cannot be adequately controlled in general practice using the resources above then clinicians can refer for further support - see below.

Community Dermatology Service - BNSSG

The Community Dermatology Service has an excellent team of dermatology nurses and GPSIs who can assess children (and adults) with eczema and develop eczema management plans. Self referrals from patients are not permitted but referrals can be made by health care professionals including GPs, health visitors, community nurses, practice nurses and podiatrists.

Please see the Adults Community Dermatology Service Remedy page for referral information.

Secondary Care Referral

Consider the use of Paediatric Dermatology Advice & Guidance.

If referral to secondary care is needed then please refer to Paediatric Dermatology via eReferral.

Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.