Waiting list for suspected skin cancers drops dramatically
Since May 2023 around 94% of people with suspected skin cancer are being seen within the two week target at Whipps Cross Hospital, thanks to a new pilot.
This is a significant improvement from 2022 when on average 62% of people with suspected skin cancer were seen within two weeks.
Thankfully, most of these referrals aren’t cancerous. However, the number of referrals received from our local GPs makes dermatology one of the busiest services. The team usually have capacity for around 50 face-to-face appointments each week , increasing significantly during the spring and summer months with no increase in staff capacity.
“Given the increasing demand on our service, we’re always looking to innovate and improve efficiency and quality. We knew about a successful teledermatology initiative implemented at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, that we decided to adopt to see whether we saw similar improvements,” says dermatology service manager, Emma Richards.
The pilot involved lower risk patients being seen by medical photography for their first appointment instead of the dermatology team, this allowed for prioritising high risk patients that required a face to face assessment. Once photos of the skin lesions were taken by medical photography, they were reviewed by a senior registrar with Consultant review of all images. The next steps for the patients were decided and the patients who needed review were then contacted. This new pathway opened up an extra 50 -60 slots over a week allowing the team to see more patients.
Based on the great results so far, the Cancer Alliance has offered to fund a medical photographer and two admin roles for the service.
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