Dr James Whitlock
Consultant dermatologist: eczema, psoriasis, patch testing and phototherapy
GMC specialist registerDEMO-6200004
Next slotThu 08:30 (demonstration)
DaysMon · Thu · Fri
VideoFollow-ups by video
00Allergy & patch testingProcedure
Patch testing
ClinicAllergy & patch testing
SeenWithin three weeks
ResultDiagnosis on Friday of the test week
Price£495 · Three visits, standard series; extended series £120 extra
Contact allergy testing over three visits in one week: the British standard series plus the extra series your history needs, read by a consultant.
00The record
Patch testing: what it is, what is included.
| Cell | Entry |
|---|---|
| Seen | Within three weeks |
| Result | Diagnosis on Friday of the test week |
| Price | £495 for three visits |
| Insured | Covered with a GP referral |
| Length | Three visits: Monday, Wednesday, Friday |
Included in the price
- 01Consultant consultation to choose the series
- 02British standard series of allergens
- 03Two consultant readings
- 04A written avoidance list with alternative names
- 05Letter to your GP and, if relevant, your employer
Patch testing finds the substance that is causing a rash: the nickel in a buckle, the preservative in a hand cream, the acrylate in gel nails, the rubber in gloves. Small chambers of allergens are taped to the back on Monday, removed and read on Wednesday, and read again on Friday, when the delayed reactions show.
What happens
- A consultation to choose the series: standard, plus hairdressing, cosmetics, dental, shoe, plant, medicament or your own products
- Monday: patches applied to the back; keep them dry
- Wednesday: patches removed and the first reading
- Friday: the second reading, the diagnosis, and a written list of what to avoid with the names it hides under
Bring your own products, including the ones you think are innocent.
Procedure
From £495
Three visits, standard series; extended series £120 extra
SeenWithin three weeks
ResultDiagnosis on Friday of the test week
InsuredCovered with a GP referral
00Suitable for
Who this is for, and who it is not.
The consultant decides in the room; this is the honest list so you book the right appointment first time. Unsure: send a photo and Claire will say.
For
- Hand eczema in hairdressers, nurses, mechanics, cleaners, chefs
- Eyelid or face rashes linked to cosmetics
- Rashes under jewellery, watches, belts or shoes
- Eczema that flares with a product or a job
Not for
- Food allergy or hay fever: those need a different test with an allergist
- Active widespread eczema on the back: it needs settling first
- Anyone on strong immunosuppressants or high-dose steroid tablets
Insurance: Covered with a GP referral. Billed directly: give Rosie your policy number and authorisation code and you pay only your excess.
00What happens
The appointment, step by step.
A mole check, full-body check or consultation ends with a verdict and a written note. You are not sent away to wait for a letter.
- 01Send a photo, or ringWhatsApp or upload a photograph and Claire replies within one working day: today, this week or routine. Or ring Rosie, who holds two same-day mole slots every weekday.
- 02The checkA consultant dermatologist examines the mole, or all of them, with a dermatoscope. Photographs are stored. You leave with a verdict in writing: reassure, re-check, or remove.
- 03Removal, if neededBooked within the week in our own minor operations room under local anaesthetic. Home the same hour. Everything removed goes to histology.
- 04The resultThe surgeon phones you within five working days, whatever the histology says. Abnormal results come with a plan and a date, and a same-day NHS referral if it is a melanoma.
- 05AfterwardsStitches out with Claire, a scar review at three months, and a follow-up plan in writing: yearly for most, three-monthly in year one after a melanoma. A map next year if your moles need one.
How you get the result
Within one working day of a photoClaire replies to the triage line with one of three words: today, this week, or routine, and the appointment that fits. Free.
In the roomA mole check, full-body check or consultation ends with a verdict and a written note. You are not sent away to wait for a letter.
Also in allergy & patch testing
00Risks, in plain words
What can go wrong, and how often.
Told before, not after. Audited: a relevant allergen found in 58% of 190 people tested.
- 01Itching under the patches
- 02A strong reaction leaving a mark for a few weeks
- 03Rarely, a flare of your eczema
- 04Very rarely, a new sensitisation to a tested substance
Counted in the audit
Outcome2025 audit: a relevant allergen found in 58% of 190 people tested
00Related conditions
The condition this is booked for.
From the conditions A–Z, with the urgency stamp each carries. The full guide →
First, a photograph
Send the photo by WhatsApp to 01632 960951 or the upload form: one from thirty centimetres, one close up, in daylight, with a coin for scale. Claire will tell you whether it is today, this week or routine. If it bleeds, ring instead.
Worried about a mole?
Ring, or send a photo. Either way, you are seen.
Mole checks within 3 working days; same day if bleeding.
Front porch, Chestnut Avenue
Four spaces on the gravel drive including one blue badge; free on-street parking on Chestnut Avenue, tight on Wednesdays
Garden entrance, Chestnut Lanestep-free
Drop-off bay at the door; two spaces reserved for surgery patients on the day