NHS Sussex has committed to improving its dermatology services and making care “easier to access, more consistent and better connected for people with skin conditions” through the use of digital technology and AI.
As part of the NHS Sussex Improving Lives Together strategy, the ICS aims to transform services for patients with eczema, psoriasis, acne and moles by introducing digital tools that can support the delivery of “faster, more joined-up care”. The implementation of teledermatology and AI has been highlighted as a key driver for this initiative and will be used to help review skin images and support clinicians with making decisions.
The ICS has also outlined plans to develop a “consistent Sussex-wide model of care and a single point of access for referrals” focused on delivering care closer to home, reducing waiting times, enabling more timely diagnoses, improving coordination between different healthcare teams and providing equitable care across the region.
“This work is about creating a sustainable and consistent model of care that delivers better outcomes for people across Sussex. By using digital tools, streamlining referrals through a single point of access and strengthening links between community and hospital care, we can help more people be seen and treated more quickly,” Andy Jones, deputy director of commissioning & transformation – Planned Care, said.
Ahead of any changes, the ICS is encouraging people within the region to complete an online survey by 28 November. Patients can share their experiences of community dermatology services across GP practices, hospitals and community clinics, allowing the ICB to better understand where to focus their efforts.
This development from NHS Sussex forms as part of their wider commitment to digital transformation and follows their recent People and Digital Committee report, which outlined several key digital and data successes over the past quarter, including the launch of the Plexus Transfer of Care Hubs dashboard and NHS App uptake.
The wider trend: digital transformation in dermatology
One of our webinars took an in-depth look at how technology is transforming skin cancer care at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. We explored successes in reducing two-week wait referral time from 57 days to 12 days, looked at challenges for implementing this approach and discussed advice for other healthcare organisations looking to implement similar digital pathways. Sandy Anderson, consultant dermatologist at Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust and Gabi Cohen, director of delivery at Isla Health, joined us to share their insights and experiences on the project.
In August, Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust shared the latest figures on their local teledermatology imaging service, revealing that “for 2025 over 60% of patients accessed the service as a first appointment (with comparatively low missed appointment rates)”. They also noted how 100 percent of patients said that the service was either good or very good, which was “a strong indication of the positive impact teledermatology is having on patient care”.
Health tech company, Skin Analytics recently raised £15 million in Series B funding to increase their product offering and expand overseas into “key markets struggling with dermatologist shortages”. Led by AI-focused investor, Intrepid Growth Partners, the funding will primarily be used to “launch products that cover all dermatology concerns”. It will also help Skin Analytics to increase their reach to Europe, Australia and the US, with the aim to make their products available globally as a way to tackle the worldwide “scarcity of practitioners” in dermatology.
