A new app which speeds up patients’ skin care referrals – including suspected cancer cases – was hailed as a potential life-saver by a relieved Isle of Wight patient.
Nursing home worker Sandra Thompson was worried about a mole on her back and couldn’t believe the speed that what subsequently turned out to be a malignant melanoma was diagnosed and removed.
Sandra was fast-tracked after a nurse practitioner at her GP surgery sent photos of the mole via a new Dermicus app to dermatology consultants the same day of her visit. She had a biopsy 8 days after her referral, her results 30 days from the date of the referral and the mole removed just 4 days later.
Sandra, 63, from Ryde, a patient at the Argyll House Surgery, said:
“It was wonderful. It all happened so quickly and they took care of me so well. This could certainly be a life-saver.
“We had our bathroom changed to a wet room, and in the mirror I could see a black mark on my back which I wasn’t aware of before, and I was worried about it.
“When I went to my surgery for a blood pressure test I mentioned it and the nurse practitioner said she didn’t like the look of it because it had rough edges and different colours. Photos were taken and sent off to the consultant using the App.
“Within weeks I had the mole removed. I was told it was cancerous but they have now removed all the cancer cells, which is obviously very re-assuring.”
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The app, used by 2 GP practices last year – Argyll House Surgery, Ryde and St Helens Medical Centre, St Helens – has been rolled out across the Island and staff at every surgery have been trained in its use to benefit their patients.
The project has been shortlisted for a 2020 Health Service Journal award, recognising its outstanding contribution to healthcare. The team running it, made up of the NHS Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Isle of Wight NHS Trust, Lighthouse Medical, Wessex Academic Health Science Network (AHNS) and Gnosco, will feature in the ‘Primary Care Innovation of the Year’ category.
The dermatology service has had 1,148 referrals from 1st January to the end of September 2020 – with nearly half of them in August (320) and September (243) because of the success of the App.
Dr Michele Legg, clinical lead for the CCG, which commissions Lighthouse Medical to provide the dermatology service, said:
“The app dramatically speeds up how quickly a skin problem can be seen by a hospital specialist, who can give the patient a much-faster diagnosis than before.
“This can obviously help with the earlier detection of cancer and speed up the process for our patients receiving vital treatment. The app is also very easy to use.”
Nurse consultant Di Goring, the clinical director of Lighthouse Medical, said:
“The island has a high rate of melanoma and so it’s crucial we embrace new and innovative technology like this app. Dermatology patients are no longer having to make unnecessary appointments, saving both them and the NHS a considerable amount of time and energy.”
Dr Richard Ashton, the consultant who reviewed Mrs Thompson’s images, said:
“The ease of the system is to be highly commended. I was able to read the images on the mainland – without the patient having to travel from her home on the island.”
