Minor Surgery
Nightingale and Lawson provide an enhanced minor surgery service that offers biopsy, cyst/lesion removal and joint injections/aspirations.
All minor surgery procedures are subject to the Evidence Based Interventions (EBI) criteria (see webpage). Please ensure referrals meet the relevant criteria. The policy is still in effect and you will be notified about any changes.
Eligibility
Inclusion
See procedure list (under Downloads) for full criteria per practice.
- Low risk BCC removal
- Diagnostic skin biopsy (non-malignant lesions)
- Cyst/lesion removal
- Joint injections/aspirations
- Ganglion draining
- Cryotherapy
Exclusion
- Patients under the age of 16
- Referrals for procedures that a practice provides under the DES
- Cosmetic procedures- where there the issue causes none of the following:
- limitation of movement
- obstruction of orifice
- significant pain
- significant itching
- disfigurement to the face (>1cm)
- Lesions/cysts- >5cm in size
- Lesion/cyst in hazardous location requiring specialist: face- within the margin of the orbit, wrist, etc.
- Toe nails- refer to Homerton community foot health services
- Keloid scar revision
- Ganglion Excision
Practices are only eligible to refer for cryotherapy/cautery if they have opted out of the additional service- a full list of which practices are opted in and which are opted out- can be found in the downloads section.