Any person enrolled with the WBOP PHO, NMO, Waihi Beach Medical Centre, Waihi Health Centre or Waihi Family Doctors (Hauraki PHO) and domiciled to the Western Bay of Plenty.

Pigmented when histology indicates the following types:

• Melanoma.
• Melanoma in situ.
• Dysplastic naevus.
• Other pigmented cutaneous malignancy.

Non-pigmented when biopsy testing indicates the following types:

• Basal cell carcinoma.
• Squamous cell carcinoma including in situ.
• Other non-pigmented cutaneous malignancies including keratoacanthoma.

Suspicious lesions:

• Excision of any suspicious pigmented or non-pigmented lesions not of a type set out under the exclusions below.

• Sebhorrhoeic keratoses.
• Lipomas.
• Sebaceous cysts.
• Warts.
• Solar keratoses.
• All other non-malignant lesions not listed above.

• All referrals for skin cancer lesions must be made to the Skin Surgery Service and not the Tauranga Hospital Referral Centre. This is done by:
  
  
  • Best Practice: Select the relevant patient in your electronic patient record system and then go to the Best Practice main menu. Select 'Skin Surgery Service' to start the electronic referral process.
    
    
  • If Best Practice is not available to you, you may complete the paper referral form and post/fax it to the Skin Surgery Service at
    WBoP PHO, Skin Surgery Service, PO Box 13225, Tauranga 3141
    Phone: 07 571 7169
    
    
• A punch biopsy of the lesion and a full skin assessment is required before referral. There are two variations to this rule: Note that the patient is responsible for paying for any Punch Biopsy or Full Skin Assessment done by their doctor or by the assessing doctor.
  
  
  • Where a doctor seeks a second opinion, they may refer the patient to the Skin Surgery Service who will arrange a GPSI to provide that opinion.
    
    
  • Where a doctor does not feel competent to assess the patient, they may refer the patient to the Skin Surgery Service who will arrange for an assessment to occur.
    
    
• The Skin Surgery Service has engaged an independent clinician to assist in the processing of referrals. At the end of each month, referrals shall be considered and scored against the Surgical Priority Schedule and the General Scoring Criteria. Lesions will be placed in descending order of priority. Funds will be assigned going down the schedule until the funds are fully assigned. Where a referral is of particular clinical urgency, consideration may occur more immediately. This will be an exception to the rule however. The referrer will need to justify this in the 'Clinical Lesion Notes' section of the electronic referral form.
  
  
  • All lesions require skin surgery service approval if funding is to be assigned. Any surgery undertaken without approval will not be funded.
    
    
  • Funding is approved lesion by lesion with a maximum of three approved lesions per day.