Skin Analytics

DERM, Class III CE-marked AI medical device enabling early diagnostic skin cancer assessments in post-referral/ secondary care and the community

NHS Cancer Programme – Innovation Open Call – Competition 2

Neil Daly, CEO

LinkedIn: /skin-analytics, /ndaly

GPs see over 13 million patients annually for dermatological concerns resulting in more than a million referrals to secondary care. About half of these are urgent suspected skin cancer referrals of which only 8% will be diagnosed with melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma, the majority of patientes having been referred for benign skin legions. Nationally, urgent suspected skin cancer referrals are increasing by more than 11% each year and this growing demand for dermatology appointments is placing significant pressure on the workforce.

DERM is an AI as a Medical Device (AIMD) that can be utilised to triage and assess skin legions for cancer. Patiensts are screened in Community Diagnostics Hubs using DERM to obtain a highly accurate skin lesion assessment, without the need for a face-to-face appointment.

Ease of access and the ability to obtain a highly accurate assessment closer to home encourages patients to present earlier with a concerning skin lesion.

DERM can recognise melanoma with a similar accuracy to skin cancer specialists. It can be used to more quickly rule out benign lesions thus reducing onward dermatoloy referrals. Capacity can therefore be directed to patients who need expertise the most.

The most recent post-market surveillance data demonstrated that DERM continues to perform at or above the level of specialists. DERM helps to support better triage of cases that warrant specialist review and onward referral to biopsy or excision. Across pre-referral sites, DERM avoids Urgent Suspects Cancer Referrals (USCRs) for 60-70% of patients including 35-50% of patients being routed towards discharge.

• 200,000+ NHS patients have been seen through pathways that rely on DERM. 15,500 cancers found

• Approved by NICE for use in triage and assessment of skin legions on the urgent suspected cancer referral pathway, while further evidence is gathered

• Used by 25 NHS organisations at 27 sites

• 99.9% Negative Predictive Value accuracy rate ruling out melanoma

• Helped Secondary Care organisations avoid up to 95% of NHS face-to-face USCRs by combining DERM with downstream teledermatology reviews where patients can be routed straight to biopsy

• 21 partnerships including with Bupa, and a partnership with Affidea to implement DERM in skin cancer pathways in Greece, Romania, and Lithuania

• Raised £15M series B investment round

• Winners of the HSJ Awards: Digital Clinical Safety Award for CWFT - "Demonstrating the clinical safety of AI teledermatology: transitioning from pilot to sustainable standard practice" and the Improving Primary Care Through Digital Award for SNEE - "Using AI to detect skin cancer earlier and transofrm patient experience in primary care"

• British Data Awards AI Company of the Year 2025

• Named in Bloomberg's Top 25 Startups to watch 2024

"The service is helping us to safely triage patients to the next appropriate step in their care. Patients with benign lesions can be seen closer to home for their photographs and given the reassuring news that they do not have cancer more quickly.”

Dr Elizabeth Roberts, Dermatology Consultant, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

"The role of AI, as far as I'm concerned, is here to stay. We need to use it as part of a pathway that redefines the whole process and reduces work pressures, but also increases efficiencies in terms of costs - underpinning it all is a [positive] patient jouney"

Clinician using DERM

October 2025