Innovative Community Skin Imaging Clinics Transform Patient Care in Cornwall

In an exciting development for healthcare in Cornwall, the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) has unveiled a groundbreaking initiative to tackle the growing challenge of skin cancer diagnosis. By joining forces with Isla Health, a leading digital health technology platform, RCHT has launched pop-up community imaging services designed to expedite the skin cancer screening process.

This transformational approach is making significant strides in bringing healthcare closer to the community, especially beneficial for residents of Cornwall’s more rural areas. The service, currently available in several community hospitals including Penzance, Newquay, Camborne, St Austell, and Bodmin, leverages tele-dermatology to offer expert skin care assessments remotely. Patients are referred by their GPs to these clinics, where medical photographers conduct and document skin examinations, with consultants reviewing the images via the Isla platform the following day.

Dr. Sandy Anderson, Associate Specialist at RCHT, highlighted the urgent need for such innovative solutions, noting the rising epidemic of skin cancer and the acute shortage of dermatologists in the UK. “With melanoma diagnosis rates in Cornwall nearing those of Australia, and receiving 150-200 referrals weekly, we had to innovate,” Dr. Anderson stated. The community clinics serve as an effective preliminary screening process, efficiently identifying cases that require further specialist intervention, thereby reducing waiting times and travel for patients.

The initiative has been met with widespread acclaim from patients, who appreciate the accelerated and convenient access to diagnosis. Plans are in motion to expand these services to more community hospitals across Cornwall, further enhancing patient care.

Isla Health’s co-founders, CEO Peter Hansell and CTO James Jurkiewicz, expressed their enthusiasm for the project’s success and the potential for scaling health services through such innovative collaborations. “The impact we’ve seen from the tele-dermatology service at RCHT is just the beginning,” they shared, underscoring the promise of expanding these novel remote services throughout the county.

Robin Jones, Chief Operating Officer at RCHT, praised the initiative for its creative and forward-thinking approach to healthcare, emphasising the dedication of the team to applying innovative solutions for the benefit of patients. With the project’s success and the exploration of AI for future skin cancer diagnosis, the tele-dermatology initiative stands as a beacon of innovative patient care in Cornwall.