Clinical responsibility

The participating clinician retains full and independent responsibility for all patient assessment, diagnosis, management and referral decisions. DermCAP does not provide direct patient care, remote diagnosis, or treatment recommendations to patients.

Nature of supervision

DermCAP provides structured education, calibration and retrospective case review. Discussion of cases is advisory and educational. No mandatory management instructions are issued and participation does not override clinical judgement.

Decision boundary

DermCAP does not authorise reassurance. Reassurance decisions remain the responsibility of the clinician conducting the consultation. Where diagnostic uncertainty exists, standard NHS referral pathways (including urgent suspected cancer pathways) remain available and are explicitly encouraged.

Safety design:

The programme is designed as a safety-enhancing intervention by:

• improving recognition of benign lesions
• reinforcing referral thresholds
• identifying diagnostic uncertainty early
• supporting appropriate referral

DermCAP does not restrict or delay referral at any stage.

Escalation

If a clinician is uncertain about a lesion, referral according to NHS pathways is advised. DermCAP does not operate as a triage or gatekeeping service.

Data Use

Clinical material is used for supervision, audit and quality improvement only and is processed in accordance with UK GDPR and the organisation’s Clinical Privacy Notice.

Summary

DermCAP functions as a clinical quality-improvement and safety support programme. It does not replace existing pathways, does not hold clinical responsibility for individual patients, and is intended to enhance safe decision-making in primary care.