The NHS is to roll out ‘teledermatology’, which involves taking high spec images of spots, moles or lesions on people’s skin. It is hoped that the new technology will enable tens of thousands of patients to receive faster diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer.
A small lens, which can be attached to a phone camera is allowing specialist dermatologists to double the number of patients they can review in a day.
The technology is currently available in about 15 per cent of trusts and is set to be rolled out across all areas of the country by July.
NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard said: “Record numbers of people are being checked and treated for cancer and thanks to efforts to ensure people come forward with worrying symptoms, we are now diagnosing a higher proportion of cancers at an early stage, increasing people’s chances of beating this cruel disease.
“There is no denying that increased demand has placed huge pressure on services, but championing the use of digital technology and new ways of working is key to reducing waits and is exactly why we are accelerating the use of teledermatology – it is a small piece of kit that has the potential to speed up diagnosis and treatment for tens of thousands with skin cancer.
“We are going a step further even and expanding the use of artificial intelligence lenses in teldermatology to diagnose skin cancers, and this is proving highly effective in areas that have trialled the technology so far.
“This is just one example of innovation adopted by the NHS to ensure people are diagnosed and treated for cancer as early as possible – we are also investing millions to increase diagnostic and treatment capacity and driving forward early diagnosis initiatives like our community lung trucks –and we will not stop there in our efforts to find cancers earlier and save more lives”.
Dr Tom While, a GP from Somerset, said: “Being able to get a swift and specialist opinion on a skin lesion or rash, and advice on treatment or local surgical options, often negates the need to refer the patient on to another hospital to see the specialist in person. This not only reduces waiting lists, but strongly benefits my patients who live in rural areas, saving them from long unnecessary journeys.
“If a patient does need to be referred on to a specialist, then the teledermatology service helps to streamline that process, ensuring the patient is seen in the correct clinic at the right time – it’s a fantastic service and an asset to rural general practice, and hard to imagine working without it”.
Image by Dirk (Beeki®) Schumacher from Pixabay