Health secretary praises ‘fantastic’ digital dermatology service  

The health secretary, Neil Gray, has praised the rollout of a digital dermatology service designed to cut wait times and increase skin cancer detection rates. 

Since the service was launched nationally in September, the Scottish Government says that GPs have referred more than 12,000 patients. 

The government claims that up to 130,000 dermatology referrals a year could be made this way in the future, reducing demand on dermatology waiting lists by up to 50 per cent. 

Gray said: "Digital dermatology is a fantastic example of how innovation is improving access to healthcare and delivering our programme for government commitments. It provides faster reassurance for patients who do not have cancer and earlier diagnosis for those who do, potentially leading to better treatment options and outcomes.” 

The system works by allowing GPs to securely send images of a patient's skin condition to dermatology specialists for analysis using a mobile device. Once the image is received, an initial assessment of the condition is done digitally and patients are offered a face-to-face appointment if needed. If a face-to-face appointment is not required, patients are directed to a more suitable service or given advice on managing their condition. 

Around half of annual dermatology referrals are for suspected skin cancer, and the new service means that cancer can be ruled in or out more quickly. Early diagnosis of skin cancers like melanoma is a vital factor for patient outcomes. If melanoma is spotted at stage one, almost all patients live five years or more, compared to only 50 per cent of patients if the cancer is found at stage four. 

Dr Fiona Macdonald, consultant dermatologist and clinical lead for dermatology at the Centre for Sustainable Delivery said: “Digital dermatology helps dermatologists carry out robust referral triage without the patient being present, enabling them to prioritise the most urgent referrals. Referrals with images also allow the option to offer advice and/or a diagnosis to colleagues in primary care at the point of referral rather than patients having to wait for an appointment.” 

The national rollout of the service has been funded by £1.8m from the Scottish Government through the Accelerated National Innovation Adoption initiative.