Bupa has expanded its at-home skin assessment service for health insurance customers to a wider range of everyday skin conditions such as rashes, dryness or irritation or suspected skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema and hives.
It said in most cases, customers can get a diagnosis in just three days.
Customers who are worried about their skin can upload images of their concern directly from their smartphone to the Skin Analytics app.
A Bupa-certified dermatologist then reviews the images alongside the customer’s medical history. Should further investigation be needed, an adviser will contact the customer to discuss next steps, and the insurer will help arrange a referral to a specialist.
Bupa first launched its at-home skin cancer assessment service in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, offering remote support for concerns specifically relating to moles and skin lesions.
To date, the pathway has helped approximately 20,000 customers, with 30% of referrals coming from the Blua app over the last 12 months.
It said the expanded service was a response to rising demand for wider dermatology care in the UK, with people having to wait longer for private and NHS appointments for more common, non-life-threatening skin conditions.
It is estimated that 60% of people have experienced a skin condition at some point in their lives, and there are more than a million new patient referrals to specialist dermatology departments each year.
Referrals from Bupa’s at-home skin cancer assessment service have also risen 58% since launch.
Guidance can include advice on self-care, information on possible triggers and treatment recommendations, as well as support with specialist referrals when necessary.
Dr Tim Woodman, medical director for policy and cancer services at Bupa, said: “By ensuring our customers have timely access to convenient and reliable dermatology care, our expanded remote pathway is helping people to understand their skin issues quickly, stay healthy, and increase capacity for specialist consultants to support the most complex cases.”
Neil Daly, CEO of Skin Analytics, added: “We know that there is significant demand for dermatology advice and treatment that extends beyond skin cancer, and we’re grateful to be working with Bupa to bring faster ways to access care to their members.
“By expanding the conditions for which we provide support, we look forward to supporting thousands more patients with rapid, convenient assessments of their skin concerns.”
