The NHS 10-Year Health Plan (10YHP) rightly highlights the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in reshaping the future of healthcare. In dermatology, demand continues to outstrip capacity, AI can unlock meaningful change not in the distant future, but right now.
We are delighted to see that the NHS has now stated that the standard of care for skin cancer pathways will be powered by appropriately regulated AI. This is a huge step, a global first actually, and a commitment to get patients the best care.
We’re proud that Skin Analytics’ work has enabled this. And we’re proud to have been highlighted in the plan as an example of how AI is already being used to improve patient access and streamline dermatology services. As the report describes, AI-supported photo clinics using dermoscopic imaging and algorithmic triage are enabling faster diagnoses, reducing unnecessary hospital appointments and ensuring that patients with suspected skin cancer are prioritised for specialist care.
It is worth clarifying that while the 10YHP highlights that by 2028 AI skin cancer pathways will be standard of care, this is not the timeline for adoption. Rather this timeline aligns with the expected timing to mandated adoption across the NHS.
To achieve the goals of the NHS and this government to reduce waitlists, it has been made clear to us that we must start mass adoption across the NHS right now. The current state of dermatology services across the NHS is under extreme pressure. Hundreds of thousands of patients are waiting to be seen, and thousands of those may be unknowingly living with skin cancers that could progress while sitting on growing waitlists.
This is not a future challenge, it is a present crisis.
At Skin Analytics, our technology could solve the capacity issue right now.
Our AI medical device, DERM, is a Class III CE-marked medical device – the highest level of regulatory classification in Europe – demonstrating its safety, rigour and clinical capability. It is also conditionally recommended by NICE and is being deployed in NHS settings across the UK to support safe, effective triage in real-world skin cancer pathways.
Earlier this month, our founder and CEO, Neil Daly, was invited to give evidence at the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee on the role of AI in healthcare. During this session, Neil highlighted that:
“Scaled across the UK, we could reduce waitlists over the next couple of years to zero while finding more cancers in their earlier stages, saving the NHS about £35 million a year […] With AI, we can move from a health system built around scarcity to a system built around abundance.”
We truly understand that transformation on this scale can feel daunting and doesn’t happen overnight. The pressures on frontline clinical teams, operational leaders and commissioners are immense. That’s why we don’t just offer a product, we offer a partnership. Our experienced, dedicated Transformation, Account Management and Clinical teams work hand-in-hand with NHS partners to design, implement and evolve world-leading AI skin cancer pathways that align with local needs, governance structures and crucially, patient access.
Whether it’s clinical safety assurance, digital integration, clinical workflows or stakeholder engagement, we bring the support, evidence and lived experience to help NHS partners succeed. We are not asking our partners to leap into the unknown; we’re inviting them to step forward with a team that has already walked this path.
Why are we outlining this? Because we wholeheartedly want to help you make the change that needed to happen yesterday. And it’s been made clear to us that this needs to start now to achieve the vision for 2028.
Skin Analytics stands apart not only because of our technology, but because of our contribution to the broader conversation. In addition to the recognition in the 10YHP and the NICE recommendation, we have played an active role in shaping national policy and regulatory standards for AI in dermatology. We’ve worked with NHS England, the UK government and notified bodies to ensure DERM can be deployed safely, effectively and equitably.
Ultimately, this is about more than innovation, it’s about impact. Every delay in access risks a worse outcome for a patient. Every missed opportunity to triage safely and early leads to cost, complexity and unnecessary anxiety.
The NHS 10YHP envisions a future where AI helps deliver better, faster, fairer care. At Skin Analytics, we are already doing this. But to create real sustainable change, we need to do this at scale.
Let’s take the next step together, for the good of your patients, your teams, and the sustainability of the health system we all rely on.
Together we can clear the waitlists over the next few years.