What is DermCAP?
DermCAP is a structured clinical apprenticeship designed to improve the quality and consistency of skin lesion decisions in primary care.
Clinicians develop capability through supervised practice, dermoscopy and outcome-linked feedback over 12 months.
The result is safer decision-making, higher-quality referrals and measurable workforce development.
How DermCAP Works
DermCAP improves decision-making through a structured cycle of supervised practice, feedback and progressive independence.
What problem does DermCAP solve?
Referral demand continues to rise while downstream capacity struggles to keep pace.
Most improvement efforts focus on expanding specialist capacity. DermCAP focuses upstream instead — helping clinicians make more consistent skin lesion decisions at first patient contact through supervision, feedback and outcome-linked learning.
The aim is not simply more referrals or fewer referrals, but better referral decisions.

DermCAP addresses this problem
DermCAP is designed to improve decision quality at first patient contact through structured supervised practice within primary care.
This supports
- Safer patient management
- More consistent referral decisions
- Improved cancer yield from referrals
- Fewer benign lesions escalating downstream
DermCAP enables
- High-quality dermoscopic imaging as standard
- Development of local expertise within primary care
- Decisions linked to real outcomes over time
Explore for Commissioners
Focused on measurable outcomes, governance, and referral pressure
Improve skin lesion assessment at first contact, with measurable pilot outcomes and governance-led implementation.
Explore for Clinicians & Practices
Structured support, confidence, and feedback
Structured support for clinicians making real-time skin lesion decisions in primary care.
