Advancing AI innovation in skin cancer care: Trust partners with La Roche-Posay

A £250K sponsorship will support research, education and awareness, building on established teledermatology services to help improve access and outcomes in skin cancer care.

As part of the L’Oréal Groupe’s Act for Dermatology commitment to increase access to skin health, La Roche-Posay is working with Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and CW+, the Trust’s official charity, to help improve access and outcomes in skin cancer care. The 3-year partnership focuses on three key pillars: knowledge generation, education and raising awareness.

The partnership builds on Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s long-standing leadership in digital dermatology. The Trust launched its teledermatology pathway in 2017 and integrated artificial intelligence into the service in 2022. In 2024, the Trust became one of the first NHS organisations to deploy world-first autonomous AI technology capable of safely discharging benign cases within urgent suspected skin cancer pathways.

By automatically identifying benign lesions, AI-supported teledermatology can free up to 30% of urgent dermatology appointments. This enables specialists to prioritise patients more likely to require urgent assessment for skin cancer, as well as reducing waiting times for those living with serious or chronic skin conditions, such as eczema, acne and psoriasis.

Knowledge, education and awareness

Under the knowledge pillar, the partnership will support Trust-led research into how autonomous AI and teledermatology can best support clinicians in skin cancer care, including the validation of datasets that reflect rare skin cancers and a broad range of skin types, in line with NHS Equality and Health Inequalities Impact Assessment principles.

The education pillar focuses on supporting healthcare professionals with training and resources to build confidence in the responsible use of digital tools within established clinical pathways.

Through raising awareness, the partnership aims to support greater understanding of skin health, sun safety and early cancer detection among both healthcare professionals and the public.