Global first as NHS hospital uses AI for instant skin cancer checks

An NHS hospital is pioneering the use of artificial intelligence to diagnose skin cancer, enabling patients to get lifesaving checks for the disease without seeing a doctor.

In a global first marking a “new era” of cancer care, staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital are now using an iPhone with a magnifying lens to take photos of any suspicious-looking moles, with the image analysed in seconds by an AI app.

Nearly half of patients get the all clear and are automatically discharged with no further appointments, while those with cancer or who need further investigation are booked in to see a specialist doctor and begin treatment.

Thousands of NHS patients have had urgent cancer checks using the AI tool, freeing up doctors to focus on the most serious cases and helping to bring down waiting lists.

The system conducts the checks in five minutes, compared with around 20 minutes required for face-to-face examinations with a consultant dermatologist.

Trials show the device called Derm, developed by UK firm Skin Analytics, is 99.9 per cent accurate at ruling out melanoma — the most serious type of skin cancer.

It is the first AI technology in the world to be approved to make clinical decisions on cancer treatment autonomously, without requiring a doctor to double-check its findings.

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Source: The Times, 21 March 2025