Chelsea and Westminster Hospital leads the way with world-first autonomous AI technology to speed up life-saving skin cancer checks

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is utilising digital innovation and world-first autonomous technology to identify harmless (benign) skin lesions without requiring a review from the dermatology team. This allows patients to be discharged on the same day they receive their results, reducing anxiety and providing faster reassurance.

The Trust is utilising AI in skin cancer care to help doctors and specialists prioritise patients, ensuring faster detection and treatment for those who need it most.

The AI-driven teledermatology service uses advanced dermoscopic imaging to identify cancerous (malignant), pre-cancerous, and benign moles and lesions on the skin. The AI system, called DERM, developed by Skin Analytics, works by analysing high-quality, magnified images taken with a specialised camera attachment.

DERM is the only AI medical device approved to make clinical decisions in cancer care. It performs at a high standard, with 97% effectiveness for detecting skin cancer and 99.96% for ruling out melanoma—comparable to dermatologist performance.

Since inception, the rollout of the Trust’s teledermatology service has been supported by the CW Innovation programme, which is led jointly by Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and its official charity, CW+, and looks for ideas and innovations that support the everyday care of patients.

Using AI-driven dermatology autonomously to accurately identify and discharge patients with benign skin lesions aims to free up over 30% of suspected skin cancer appointments on the urgent cancer pathway at the Trust. This will create more availability for patients with suspected skin cancer as well as those on waiting lists for chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as eczema and psoriasis, leading to better outcomes for all patients.

Read more about our teledermatology service as featured in The Times.