Management of skin cancer in an area of high incidence – service design tips

The continuous rise in skin cancer rates in the UK has placed an extra burden on dermatology services. Incidence rates of skin cancer are highest in the South West, at 41% (men) and 27% (women) above the rate for England as a whole.¹ The key reason for this is likely to relate to the population demographic; Figure 1 shows that Devon has an older population profile, with a higher percentage of older people, compared with the average for England and Wales.² Furthermore, in the South West overall, >30% of the population are over 65, and >7% are over 85, compared with 18% and 2.4% of the UK population, respectively.³