Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce Dermatology waiting lists (i) nationally and (ii) in South Yorkshire.

Cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government, including for dermatology. The Department is committed to ensuring that the proportion of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment, including for dermatology services, returns to 92% by March 2029, and to 65% by March 2026.

NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme is working to improve waiting times through its established Further Faster programme to transform patient pathways and improve access and waiting times for patients. Dermatology is one of 24 specialties in focus for GIRFT’s Further Faster work.

A Further Faster handbook for dermatology has been produced to share best practices, and the GIRFT team is carrying out regular visits to, and meetings with, challenged departments in order to provide support in improving performance across dermatology.

NHS England more widely is pioneering the use of artificial intelligence (AI), including autonomous AI, to manage skin cancer referrals, which now represent approximately 50% of dermatology referrals. This can free up clinicians to see more patients and help to reduce waiting lists. AI is already in use across more than 20 trusts, with seven trusts deploying autonomous AI, and further plans in place to expand adoption safely and effectively.

The Department does not hold data on the current shortfall, or vacancies in the National Health Service, for consultant dermatologists, including in South Yorkshire.

Local providers are best placed to make decisions on workforce capacity to reflect local service demand and circumstances, including management of their waiting list.

The 10-Year Health Plan for England set out that 1,000 more medical specialty training places will be created over the next three years, with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.