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Important: please update your RDS app to version 4.7.3

Welcome to the March 2025 update from the RDS team

1.     RDS issues - resolutions

1.1 Stability issues - Tactuum implemented a fix on 24th March which we believe has finally addressed the stability issues experienced over recent weeks.  The issue seems to have been related to the new “Tool export” function making repeated calls for content when new toolkit nodes were opened in Umbraco. No outages have been reported since then, and no performance issues in the logs, so fingers crossed this is now resolved.

1.2 Toolkit URL redirects failing– these were restored manually for the antimicrobial calculators on the 13th March when the issue occurred, and by 15th March for the remainder. The root cause was traced to adding a new hostname for an app migrated from another health board and made live that day. This led to the content management system automatically creating internal duplicate redirects, reaching the maximum number of permitted redirects and most redirects therefore ceasing to function.

This issue should not happen again because:

  • All old apps are now fully migrated to RDS. The large number of migrations has contributed to the high number of automated redirects.
  • If there is any need to change hostnames in future, Tactuum will immediately check for duplicates.

1.3 Gentamicin calculators – Incidents have been reported incidents of people accessing the wrong gentamicin calculator for their health board.  This occurs when clinicians are searching for the gentamicin calculator via an online search engine - e.g. Google - rather than via the health board directed policy route. When accessed via an external search engine, the calculator results are not listed by health board, and the start page for the calculator does not make it clearly visible which health board calculator has been selected.

The Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group has asked health boards to provide targeted communication and education to ensure that clinicians know how to access their health board antimicrobial calculators via the RDS, local Intranet or other local policy route. In terms of RDS amendments, it is not currently possible to change the internet search output, so the following changes are now in progress:

  • The health board name will now be displayed within the calculator and it will be made clear which boards are using the ‘Hartford’ (7mg/kg) higher dose calculator
  • Warning text will be added to the calculator to advise that more than one calculator is in use in NHS Scotland and that clinicians should ensure they access the correct one for their health board. A link to the Right Decision Service list of health board antimicrobial prescribing toolkits will be included with the warning text. Users can then access the correct calculator for their Board via the appropriate toolkit.

We would encourage all editors and users to use the Help and Support standard operating procedure and the Editors’ Teams channel to highlight issues, even if you think they may be temporary or already noted. This helps the RDS team to get a full picture of concerns and issues across the service.

 

2.     New RDS presentation – RDS supporting the patient journey

A new presentation illustrating how RDS supports all partners in the patient journey – multiple disciplines across secondary, primary, community and social care settings – as well as patients and carers through self-management and shared decision-making tools – is now available. You will find it in the Promotion and presentation resources for editors section of the Learning and support toolkit.

3.     User guides

A new user guide is now available in the Guidance and tips section of Resources for providers within the Learning and Support area, explaining how to embed content from Google Calendar, Google Maps, Daily Motion, Twitter feeds, Microsoft Stream and Jotforms into RDS pages. A webinar for editors on using this new functionality is scheduled for 1 May 3-4 pm (booking information below.)

A new checklist to support editors in making all the checks required before making a new toolkit live is now available at the foot of the “Request a new toolkit” standard operating procedure. Completing this checklist is not a mandatory part of the governance process, but we would encourage you to use it to make sure all the critical issues are covered at point of launch – including organisational tags, use of Alias URLs and editorial information.

4.Training sessions for RDS editors

Introductory webinars for RDS editors will take place on:

  • Tuesday 29th April 4-5 pm
  • Thursday 1st May 4-5 pm

Special webinar for RDS editors – 1 May 3-4 pm

This webinar will cover:

  1. a) Use of the new left hand navigation option for RDS toolkits.
  2. b) Integration into RDS pages of content from external sources, including Google Calendar, Google Maps and simple Jotforms calculators.

Running usage statistics reports using Google analytics

  • Wednesday 23rd April 2pm-3pm
  • Thursday 22nd May 2pm-3pm

To book a place on any of these webinars, please contact Olivia.graham@nhs.scot providing your name, role, organisation, title and date of the webinar you wish to attend.

5.New RDS toolkits

The following toolkits were launched during March 2025:

SIGN guideline - Prevention and remission of type 2 diabetes

Valproate – easy read version for people with learning disabilities (Scottish Government Medicines Division)

Obstetrics and gynaecology induction toolkit (NHS Lothian) – password-protected, in pilot stage.

Oral care for care home and care at home services (Public Health Scotland)

Postural care in care homes (NHS Lothian)

Quit Your Way Pregnancy Service (NHS GGC)

 

6.New RDS developments

Release of the redesign of RDS search and browse, archiving and version control functionality, and editing capability for shared content, is now provisionally scheduled for early June.

The Scottish Government Realistic Medicine Policy team is leading development of a national approach to implementation of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) as a key objective within the Value Based Health and Care Action Plan. The Right Decision Service has been commissioned to deliver an initial version of a platform for issuing PROMs questionnaires to patients, making the PROMs reports available from patient record systems, and providing an analytics dashboard to compare outcomes across services.  This work is now underway and we will keep you updated on progress.

The RDS team has supported Scottish Government Effective Prescribing and Therapeutics Division, in partnership with Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, in a successful bid for EU funding to test develop, implement and assess new integrated care pathways for polypharmacy, including pharmacogenomics. As part of this project, the RDS will be working with NHS Tayside to test extending the current polypharmacy RDS decision support in the Vision primary care electronic health record system to include pharmacogenomics decision support.

7. Implementation projects

We have just completed a series of three workshops consulting on proposed improvements to the Being a partner in my care: Realistic Medicine together app, following piloting on 10 sites in late 2024. This app has been commissioned by Scottish Government Realistic Medicine to support patients and citizens to become active partners in shared decision-making and encouraging personalised care based on outcomes that matter to the person. We are keen to gather more feedback on this app. Please forward any feedback to ann.wales3@nhs.scot

 

 

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinoma: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) often appears as a firm pink lump with a rough or hyperkeratotic surface. There can be a lot of surface scale and sometimes even a spiky horn sticking up from the surface. The lump often feels tender when touched, bleeds easily and may develop into an ulcer. SCCs grow significantly quicker than BCCs (visible change over weeks rather than months). SCC predominantly arise on sun-exposed sites and there are often other signs of sun-damaged skin. 

The most commonly affected areas are the backs of hands and forearms, upper part of the face and, especially in males, the scalp, lower lip and pinna. For both SCC and BCC there can sometimes be considerable skin damage if the tumour is not treated. Approximately 25,000 squamous cell carcinomas of the skin are diagnosed each year. A full time GP is likely to diagnose at least one person with squamous cell carcinoma every 1–2 years. Death from squamous cell carcinoma is rare (<5%). The main advantage of early diagnosis is less extensive treatment. 

Not all treatment options may be listed in this guidance. Please refer to local formulary for a complete list.

Low-risk: Factors relating to low-risk tumours - Diameter <2cm; Slow growing with a keratotic surface and regular features

 Refer via urgent suspicion of cancer (USOC) 

High-risk - Factors relating to high-risk tumours: Diameter 2-4cm; Rapidly growing with less keratin production and irregular features; Location on ear or lip; Tumour arising within scar or area of chronic inflammation; Immunosuppression 

Refer via USOC 

Very High-risk - Factors relating to very high-risk tumours: Diameter >4cm; Organ transplant recipients; Haematological malignancies

Refer via USOC 

Low-risk: Factors relating to low-risk tumours - Diameter <2cm; Slow growing with a keratotic surface and regular features

If alternative diagnoses (actinic keratosis or Bowen’s) have been suspected and treated surgically or non-surgically (topical therapies/cryotherapy), suspicions should be raised for possible SCC if there has been no response to these therapies within 3 months. 

TNM Staging System - Basal and Squamous Cell Skin Cancer Stages (cancer.org) see also Cancer Research UK 

BAD SCC guidelines 2020 

NICE CKS – skin cancers – recognition and referral 

Patient.Info Doctors- Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Skin 

PCDS- Squamous Cell Carcinoma 

DermNet NZ- Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma 

  • SCC predominantly arise in older patients, although immunosuppressed patients and the other high-risk groups e.g., xeroderma pigmentosum, can develop lesions at a much younger age 
  • Lesions may start de-novo or from pre-existing pre-cancerous skin lesions such as AK and Bowen's disease 
  • Transformation can also occur in areas of chronic inflammation such as leg ulcers 
  • Ulceration and granulation tissue more common than scale in poorly differentiated SCCs 
  • Pain/tenderness on palpation supports a diagnosis of SCC 
  • Can be difficult to distinguish from BCC. The latter can have diagnostic features of pearliness and telangiectasia and is more likely to have a history of spontaneous bleeding.  
  • SCCs increase in size significantly over several weeks; BCCs increase in size significantly over months 
  • SCC can be distinguished from AK and Bowen’s by looking for induration (thickening) beneath overlying keratin. When there is doubt lesions should be referred to secondary care.   
  • Beware of diagnosing a pyogenic granuloma in an elderly patient as this could be SCC or amelanotic melanoma 
  • Overlying scale/crust should be removed during clinical assessment where possible – to assess induration (suggestive of SCC)  
  • Have a higher index of suspicion/lower threshold for referral in immunocompromised patients, particularly transplant patients.

  1. BAD Patient Information Leaflet - SCC 
  2. NHS page on non-melanoma skin cancers 
  3. DermnetNZ Patient Information Leaflet - SCC 
  4. NHS Inform Scotland- Skin Cancer (non-melanoma) 

Malignant 

ICD11 code - 2C31 

Editorial Information

Last reviewed: 23/05/2023

Next review date: 23/05/2025

Author(s): Adapted from the BAD Referral Guidelines.

Version: BAD 1

Co-Author(s): Publisher: Centre for Sustainable Delivery, Scottish Dermatological Society.

Approved By: Scottish Dermatological Society