By Alexandra Thompson Senior Health Reporter For Mailonline
Published: 17:05 BST, 8 April 2019 | Updated: 17:05 BST, 8 April 2019
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GPs have been told to take pictures of suspicious moles on their phones before referring patients to a skin-cancer specialist.
Under new plans, general practitioners working across four areas in North East England will have to take three photographs on their mobiles, which then get sent to a consultant for review.
The specialist may then offer the patient an urgent or routine appointment, or decide there is no cause for concern.
The new system comes after the clinical commissioning groups behind the project claimed they received around 150 urgent referrals every week, with most not having cancer.
GPs have been told to take pictures of moles on their phones before referring patients to a specialist. The scheme has been rolled out in four areas of North East England (stock)
Melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer due to it being the most likely to spread to other organs.
The most common sign of the disease is the appearance of a new mole or a change to an existing blemish, such as it growing, becoming irregular in shape or bleeding.
In 2015, 15,906 new cases of melanoma were diagnosed in the UK, Cancer Research UK statistics show.
And in the US, around 96,480 new cases are expected to be diagnosed this year, according to the American Cancer Society.
The new scheme is said to help specialists rank patients according to severity, with those more in need being given an appointment sooner.
It should also stop patients being seen unnecessarily. GPs can still request patients see a specialist even if a consultant has given them the 'all clear'.
NHS North Durham CCG; NHS Durham Dales; NHS Easington and Sedgefield CCG; and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust are leading the project.
But the scheme is not without its critics.
One GP told Pulse: 'Our CCG has decided to further increase our workload with this additional step before an urgent skin cancer referral can be made.
'As well as adding to the workload of already overstretched GPs, I have concerns that it may potentially delay skin cancer diagnoses by making the referral process unnecessarily bureaucratic.
'For instance, we have been told that if a photo is not uploaded within 24 hours of a referral having been made then it may well be rejected.'
However, Dr George Rae - chief executive of Newcastle and North Tyneside LMC - supports the
