Bupa UK has expanded its at-home skin assessment pathway, offering health insurance customers faster access to dermatology support for a broader range of everyday skin concerns. The service, which initially focused on skin cancer checks, now provides remote reviews for conditions such as rashes, eczema, psoriasis, and hives, with diagnoses available in as little as three days.

Customers upload images of their skin concerns via the Skin Analytics app, where a Bupa-certified dermatologist assesses them alongside the individual’s medical history. If further investigation is needed, an adviser arranges the next steps, including referrals to a specialist.

Bupa launched the service in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, to address concerns about moles and skin lesions when in-person access to healthcare was limited. Since then, the pathway has supported around 20,000 customers, with referrals from the company’s Blua digital health app accounting for 30% over the past year.

The expansion comes amid growing demand for dermatology services in the UK. It is estimated that 60% of people experience a skin condition during their lifetime, while specialist departments see more than a million new referrals annually. Since Bupa’s original skin cancer pathway began, referrals have increased by 58%.

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.”

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