By Dr. Toby Nelson, Community Dermatologist and Co-Founder, Map My Mole
Changing GP access over the years
As the son of a retired GP, I remember a time when general practice felt almost neighbourly. My father would run a morning clinic, visit housebound patients in the afternoon, pick us up from school, then head back to the surgery for evening appointments. On weekends, the house phone might ring once or twice - usually with an apologetic patient on the line, hesitant to bother the doctor after hours.
In the same town today, that same out-of-hours service fields hundreds of calls each weekend. Why?
The number of GP practices in England has fallen by nearly 20%, while patient lists have ballooned by over 40%.
Today, the average full-time GP is responsible for more than 2,250 patients.
That strain has reshaped the system, leading to the now familiar 8am scramble: calling, refreshing web portals, hoping for a slot.
This change isn’t the fault of GPs. Quite the opposite - they’re under more pressure than ever, conducting more consultations in less time, often with fewer resources and less support.
24% of all GP referrals are skin-related
Most patients don’t realise that around 24% of all GP referrals are skin-related3, and nearly half concern suspected skin cancer or lesions. But GPs aren’t dermatologists. Their training in this area is limited, and their referrals - understandably cautious - often flood over-stretched hospital departments without always leading to a diagnosis. Patients frequently tell us they’ve struggled to even begin their healthcare journey.
In many areas - particularly rural, coastal, and socio-economically deprived regions - primary care is becoming harder to access. Practices in higher-deprivation regions now carry 14% more patients per GP than those in wealthier areas4. Since 2015, England lost nearly 6,100 FTE GP partners—and the numbers continue falling: between April 2024 and 2025, another 544 full-time employed GP partners left their roles. This gap contributes directly to health inequality: later-stage cancer diagnoses, longer waits, and increased anxiety.
At Map My Mole, we’re working to rebalance the system - giving patients rapid access to consultant dermatologists through their local pharmacy or clinic, often with a report in under 48 hours. It’s a small intervention with a big impact: quicker reassurance for most, and earlier escalation for the few who need it most. In our pilot studies across the South-West of the UK, patients got consultant-reviewed results in under two days. We saved nearly 1,000 GP appointments, reduced unnecessary hospital referrals, and caught suspected skin cancers earlier.
But this isn’t a replacement for GPs. It’s a way of supporting them - diverting some of the burden, so they can focus on what only they can do.
And when we do recommend further review, we make sure that pathway is clearly joined up. The question isn’t whether healthcare has changed. It’s how we respond - with compassion, clarity, and practical innovation that works for patients and professionals alike.
Because in modern Britain, getting through shouldn't be the struggle. It should be the start of getting better.