Teledermatology
What is My Skin Doctor?
My Skin Doctor is a mobile application which enables you to have your skin conditions seen by our team of expert Consultant Dermatologists (doctors specialising in the study and treatment of skin conditions).
You will be seen remotely and more quickly than a traditional clinic appointment. We are piloting this
new app which will decrease patient waiting times.
What are the benefits of this service?
You may find out the cause of your skin condition sooner than if you were to wait for a standard clinic
appointment. Once you have submitted your skin problem using the app, you can go about your daily
routine and wait for your Consultant Dermatologist to respond to you within 3 working days.
How do I get a teledermatology assessment?
Your GP will assess your skin problem and ensure suitability for the service. If you are suitable you will receive a letter from our team, along with introduction text messages inviting you to use the Teledermatology service. Once you have downloaded the MySkinDoctor app, you will need to register an account using an email address that you have regular access to and a secure password.
What happens after I submit my skin case?
A Consultant Dermatologist will carefully review your photographs and assess whether you need to be
seen in clinic. They will be able to decide on the best course of action in the same way as if you had been seen face to face in clinic. For many patients, the Consultant Dermatologist will be able to diagnose your problem, provide reassurance and discharge you back to your GP with a plan for looking after your condition. Sometimes, the Consultant Dermatologist may decide that you do need to be seen in person or that you need a biopsy (a small piece of skin is taken and sent to a laboratory for diagnosis). If this is the case, you will be contacted within 3 working days of submitting your case with an appointment date, time and location.
My Skin Doctor isn’t working, what do I do?
If you find you are having any issues with the My Skin Doctor app, please call 01903 896 625 to speak to one of our teledermatology administrators or email us on: telederm.scds@nhs.net
Who is behind My Skin Doctor?
The professional medical advice provided by My Skin Doctor is delivered by Sussex Community Dermatology Service (SCDS) who have been providing reputable dermatology services across the South East of England for many years. Receiving over 40,000 NHS referrals annually, SCDS strives to improve the patient access to high-quality dermatology services, by developing new technology and reducing appointment waiting times.
What do I need to be able to use the app?
In order to access the My Skin Doctor app, you will need a smartphone using either Android (5.1 or later) or iOS (10.0 or later) as the operating system. If you are unsure, you can check this under your phone’s settings.
Patient Guidance
For further guidance on how to use the My Skin Doctor app, please follow the link below to read our patient information brochure.
General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), Confidentiality & Patient Privacy
All information held by the service is kept in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), Data Protection Act, the NHS Constitution and the NHS Care Records Guarantee.
All patient data is stored securely and used only for the purposes of direct-care. If you are a patient and you have any concerns regarding the use of data within the service then please contact us on 01903 703 281 (for NHS patients).
Our Privacy Policy also provides advice for patients on how to make a complaint, how to request a copy of your data and how we share you data. Further information about how we use our data, please see our privacy policies below:
- Privacy Policy – Teledermatology
- Subject Access Policy
- Subject Access Request Form
- Information Governance Toolkit Assessment v14.1 for 2017/18 (97%)
FAQs
How long will it take for me to be contacted after I have submitted an image?
You will be updated within 3 working days upon receipt of adequate images to diagnose your skin condition or lesion.
What happens if the photograph(s) I upload are of inadequate quality?
If the photograph(s) you upload aren’t high enough quality to make a diagnosis from, you will be contacted via the app with a request to upload additional photograph(s). If these are still too low quality, you will be sent an appointment to be seen in clinic.
How long will it take for me to be sent an appointment if I need one?
An appointment letter will be sent to you within 7 working days of you receiving your case update or diagnosis. This letter will contain a date, time, location and the name of the clinician you will be seeing for your appointment.
What happens if I forget to download the app or submit my photograph(s)?
If you don’t download the My Skin Doctor app or submit any images within 4 working days of your referral being received, we will try to contact you to remind you to download the app or submit your photograph(s). If we receive no response within 7 working days after receiving your referral, we will send an appointment letter and you will be seen in clinic.
I have changed my mind, and would like to be seen in person instead of using My Skin Doctor. What do I do?
No problem – you can call our teledermatology admin team between 9am and 5pm on 01903 896 625 to request a clinic appointment.