The lens, which is about the size of a 50p piece, is known as a dermatoscope and will enable specialist dermatologists to double the number of patients they can review in a day.

Currently used in about 15 per cent of trusts offering dermatology services, teledermatology is set to be rolled out to all areas of England by July this year.

The use of dermatoscopes to take photos is also being expanded across GP practices, which can support people living in more in rural communities to get a faster diagnosis without having to travel for a specialist appointment.

More than 600,000 people have been referred for skin cancer checks in the last year – almost one tenth (9 per cent) higher than in the previous year and double the number sent for checks almost a decade ago. Over 56,000 patients with skin cancer received treatment last year.

The NHS is also trialling the use of magnifying lenses that use artificial intelligence technology to assess a patient’s skin...