New skin cancer Teledermatology service

Patients are receiving treatment for skin cancer more quickly thanks to the launch of a new teledermatology service at UHNM. Nursing assistants at the hospital’s skin unit have been trained to take dermatascopic images using handheld visual aid devices which can be used to diagnose skin lesions and diseases. Images are taken by a member of the nursing assistant team and then triaged by a consultant to advise on the next stage of treatment.

Mr Wayne Jaffe, consultant plastic surgeon and clinical lead for skin cancer, said: “Since the end of lockdown we have seen a big increase in the number of skin cancer referrals in excess of our capacity to be able to see everyone in a timely manner. We introduced the teledermatology service, which allows large numbers of referrals to be triaged more quickly. A significant number of our patients can be reviewed by a consultant off-site and a treatment decision made regarding straight-to-theatre or discharge, without needing to use scarce clinic capacity."

Melodie Mellor, senior operational service manager, said “We started to trial the service at the beginning of December 2021 and since then we have seen our skin cancer wait times decrease from 28 days to an average of 10 days in February. We are very proud of the teams and everyone involved in achieving this excellent result."

The new process is more efficient in terms of patient referrals and makes the hospital visit more streamlined.

Melodie continued: "Some patients will still need to attend for face-to-face appointments as their referrals are not suitable for clinical photography. We have clinic capacity to accommodate these patients."