CATEGORY DEFINITIONS
These are recommended guidelines for health professionals referring patients for assessments / treatment in a HHS.

within 1 week

within 4 weeks

within 16 weeks

Immediate and Urgent cases must be discussed with the Specialist or Registrar in order to get appropriate prioritisation and then a referral letter sent with the patient, faxed or e-mailed.  The times to assessment may vary depending on size and staffing of the hospital department.

Use the ABCD criteria

As a general principle:

Melanomas and skin cancers are rare in prepubertal children so very few naevi need to be removed in children.

Changing naevi should be either reviewed in one month, referred or excised.

Excision of naevi should be with a narrow margin, must be sent for histology and should only be done within the operator's skill level.

Changing naevi particularly in a patient with a family or personal history of melanoma, patients with multiple atypical naevi (greater than 7 mm in size, red or tan colored, variable shape and border), and in cases of diagnostic doubt

Category 2   

Other References: 

Differential Diagnosis in Dermatology.  Richard Ashton & Barbara Leppard.  Radcliffe Medical Press. 1990