Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve awareness of chronic spontaneous urticaria among clinicians, particularly in primary care settings, to help reduce delays to diagnosis.

Each medical school in the England sets its own undergraduate curriculum which must meet the standards set by the General Medical Council (GMC) in its Outcomes for Graduates. The GMC would expect that, in fulfilling these standards, newly qualified doctors are able to identify, treat and manage any care needs a person has, including chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and similar conditions. The training curricula for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the relevant Royal College and must also meet the standards set by the GMC.

To support clinicians in the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of patients with CSU, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has developed an online Clinical Knowledge Summary (CKS) for the management of the condition. Patients can usually be managed with either antihistamines or steroids, but the guidance also makes clear that patients with CSU should be considered for a referral to a dermatologist where symptoms are severe, persistent, or unresponsive to first-line treatments.

The NICE CKS and Technology Appraisal is on the NICE website in an online-only format.

Skin lesion analysis tools that use an artificial intelligence (AI)-based fixed algorithm are currently being trialled in several National Health Service trusts. These AI tools have the potential to free up dermatology capacity and reduce waiting times by effectively triaging patients with skin lesions where there is a suspicion of cancer. Data from trials in 2023/2024 suggests these tools could help with diagnosing and discharging around 30% of cases from the pathway. This will allow more patients to be seen and get a diagnosis in a timely manner.