The British Beauty Council affiliate and leading UK skin cancer charity Skcin is proud to announce their exclusive partnership with the UK’s largest dermatology practice MySkinDoctor.
The healthcare landscape is rapidly changing with far reaching implications to diagnostics, treatments and delivery of care – all of which are greatly impacting the world of dermatology.
Patient-led app MySkinDoctor allows patients to access dermatology services remotely without the need for a clinic visit. Since its launch in January 2019 after two years of development, it’s now fully approved and in use within the NHS across the south of England. The app enables patients to capture and share photographs of their skin condition with a team of experienced Consultant Dermatologists while at home or anywhere else convenient.
This technology proves essential now more than ever as the GP referral system in dermatology is under increased strain owing to a national Consultant shortage. This has resulted in a typical national waiting time for a new patient appointment exceeding up to 18 weeks!
MySkinDoctor is overcoming these delays by providing swift, efficient expert triage, allowing patients to receive a personalised care plan with diagnosis, details on their condition and an effective treatment plan within only three working days. Furthermore, this information is simultaneously communicated to the patient’s GP and added to patient records for maximum efficiency and peace of mind.
As a result of its success, and to meet increasing demand, MySkinDoctor has now partnered with Skcin to launch a nationwide Self-Pay Service. The app allows the UK public to use it immediately without first waiting for a dermatologist referral from their GP. It works in exactly the same way, providing all the same benefits, but charges the patient for their Consultancy – £5 of which will be donated to support the vital work undertaken by the charity Skcin to prevent skin cancer and promote early detection across the UK.
Founded by the family of Karen Clifford (the ‘KC’ in Skcin) who passed from melanoma in 2005, Skcin run five national, educational intervention programmes dedicated to raising awareness of the prevention and early detection of melanoma
and non-melanoma skin cancer. They do incredible work with primary schools, pre-schools, and with UK hair, health and beauty industry professionals to embed the prevention and early detection of skin cancer into the heart of communities nationwide.
“Over 210,000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer and 16,000 cases of melanoma are diagnosed annually in
the UK. Meanwhile the continued increase in cases of the disease is testing dermatology departments to their
limits. With around 90% of all skin cancer cases preventable and early diagnosis vital, MySkinDoctor are proud to
support Skcin who are leading the way in delivering forward thinking, quality and trusted solutions to tackling
the rising statistics and saving lives” – Dr Bav Shergill, Consultant Dermatologist at MySkinDoctor.
The initiative is a further achievement since Skcin’s launch of their MASCED (Melanoma and Skin Cancer Early Detection) online training programmes for nationwide hair, beauty and healthcare industries. In spite of the fact that skin cancer is the only cancer we can physically see develop, the lack of knowledge on how to spot the early signs and symptoms remains widespread. However, it’s these professionals that are perfectly placed to detect the signs and confidently signpost clients to take action. So by taking the time to learn about skin surveillance and identifying suspicious lesions, they can help clients avoid disfigurement through surgery and if spotting melanoma early, could even prevent their death.
Today the MASCED training programme has a growing army of more than 11,000 registered professionals, spanning over 30 professions nationwide. And with an estimated 275,000 professionals working across these industries, their power and scope to combat the rising incidence of skin cancer is exceptional.
The ease of use of the MySkinDoctor app has been key to patient uptake, resulting in positive testimonials and a feedback score of 4.5/5* feedback – a testament to patient satisfaction and enthusiasm for the app and its benefits. MySkinDoctor is free to download with private consultations priced at £75, £5 of which is donated to Skcin to support their vital work.
Marie Tudor, CEO of Skcin adds: “When it comes to the early diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer, providing
patients with the ability to receive immediate care is essential to yield higher rates of survival. This is why Skcin
are delighted to be partnering with MySkinDoctor – our work and common goals are perfectly aligned. By
combining our efforts in raising awareness of early detection and in signposting patients to access immediate
care, together we can and will save many lives.
To find out more or download the App visit myskindoctor.co.uk. You can read more about Skcin and the amazing work they do at skcin.org. If you wish to help in this cause and join the growing community of MASCED professionals head to masced.uk.