Somebody once said that good things come to those who wait, a neat little piece of advice but one that seems over-ambitious given the parlous state of our health services, as anyone who has recently tried to book a GP appointment or find an NHS dentist willing to see them in the next decade will tell you.

But, it’s not just GPs and dentists who are in short supply. A recent BBC report highlighted how pressure on dermatology services is causing long delays for people with inflammatory skin conditions such as severe eczema, psoriasis and acne, with waiting times for NHS dermatology clinics in England even longer than before the Covid-19 pandemic (‘Living hell for “forgotten” skin patients’ — www.bbc.co.uk).

But what is driving these delays and how might it affect your patients?