An incredible new piece of equipment has arrived at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester thanks to funds raised by the Hampshire Medical Fund.

The FotoFinder mole mapping machine will radically change the way dermatologists can identify, monitor and treat skin cancer.

Operated by two consultants, it detects moles through rapid screening and taking pictures for patient records. Skin cancer specialists will compare these images with previous pictures to clinically assess the results and alert a patient to any changes that may be found.

This equipment will streamline the process of checking for moles and comparing records. Patients will spend less time in hospital and staff can more easily identify problems and provide treatment.

It uses artificial intelligence to compare any changes when doing follow-up scans and will alert the dermatologists to those changes so appropriate action can be taken.

Each year departments across the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust bid to secure funding through the Hampshire Medical Fund for medical equipment, such as the FotoFinder, which is beyond the scope of what the NHS provides.

Dr Sam Hunt, a consultant dermatologist for the trust, said: “We are really lucky that we were able to bid through the Hampshire Medical Fund to help us provide the best possible care to our patients. We continue to be really grateful for their support.”

Trust chief medical officer Dr Lara Alloway said: “It will be a huge aid to the skin cancer monitoring services we provide, enabling us to provide outstanding care.”