Prescribing in Skin Conditions in Older People

Live 1-Hour Clinical Update with Dr Varun Kumar

Date: 12 October 2026
Time: 16:00–17:00
Format: Live Online Webinar
CPD: 1 Hour Participatory CPD
Lecturer: Dr Varun Kumar, GP Registrar with a specialist interest in dermatology

Course Overview

Skin conditions are frequently encountered by healthcare professionals working in community, primary care, virtual ward and urgent care settings. Selecting the appropriate treatment requires practitioners to recognise common presentations, differentiate inflammatory conditions from infection, and prescribe topical and systemic medicines safely.

This focused one-hour Prescribing for Skin Conditions in the Community update provides a practical overview of prescribing for common dermatological presentations, with an emphasis on treatments that clinicians are likely to encounter in everyday community practice.

The session will consider the appropriate use of emollients, topical corticosteroids, antifungal treatments and antimicrobial therapies, alongside prescribing precautions, treatment failure and indications for escalation.

NICE recommends emollients as an important component of eczema management and topical corticosteroids for inflammatory flares. Appropriate antimicrobial stewardship is particularly important because eczema can be colonised with bacteria without being clinically infected, and antibiotics should not routinely be prescribed for secondary bacterial infection in patients who are not systemically unwell.

Who Is This Course For?

This clinical update is suitable for healthcare professionals who assess, manage or prescribe for patients in:

• General practice and primary care

• Community nursing

• Virtual wards

• Urgent community response services

• Care homes

• Same-day and urgent care

• Advanced clinical practice

It is particularly relevant for Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Advanced Clinical Practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, paramedics and other independent or supplementary prescribers.

Topics Covered

During this practical one-hour session, Dr Kumar will explore:

Dry Skin and Eczema

• Selecting appropriate emollients

• Creams versus ointments

• Safe use of topical corticosteroids

• Understanding steroid potency

• Recognising treatment failure and secondary infection

Common Fungal Skin Conditions

• Recognising common fungal presentations

• Selecting topical antifungal treatment

• When topical treatment may be insufficient

Bacterial Skin Infection

• Recognising features suggesting bacterial infection

• When antibiotics may — and may not — be appropriate

• Topical versus oral antimicrobial treatment

• Antimicrobial stewardship and resistance

Prescribing Safely

• Choosing the appropriate preparation and formulation

• Quantity and duration of treatment

• Patient counselling and adherence

• Important prescribing considerations in older and frail patients

• Recognising red flags and when to escalate or refer

NICE highlights the importance of considering medicine interactions, comorbidities, renal impairment, allergies and the risks and benefits for the individual when prescribing antimicrobials.

Why Attend?

This concise update is designed to translate dermatology prescribing principles into practical community-based clinical decision-making. Case-based examples will help participants consider not simply what to prescribe, but when to prescribe, what formulation to choose, how long to treat and when the patient needs further assessment.

Lecturer – Dr Varun Kumar GP Registrar with a specialist interest in Dermatology

Dr Varun Kumar is a GP Registrar with a specialist interest in dermatology and skin conditions. He teaches regularly for Belmatt Healthcare Training, providing clinically focused dermatology education for healthcare professionals working across primary, community and advanced practice settings.