GatewayC is an online cancer education platform for primary care professionals in England.
It was developed in partnership with the NHS and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust (one of Europe’s leading cancer centres). Its main purpose is to support earlier and faster cancer diagnosis by giving GPs and other healthcare staff practical training, resources, and updates about cancer recognition, referral, and patient support.
The “Skin Cancer – Early Diagnosis” module on GatewayC was developed in collaboration with two UK charities:
Partner Charities Involved
According to Melanoma UK, they worked directly with GatewayC during the pandemic to develop this course for primary care practitioners. The module covers dermatology history taking, melanoma and non-melanoma anatomy, structured lesion assessment, and referral decision-making.
Skcin (The Karen Clifford Skin Cancer Charity):
The GatewayC announcement explicitly states that the skin cancer course was developed in partnership with Skcin who provided a primary care toolkit and training resource.
Key points about GatewayC:
🎓 E-learning modules:
Interactive courses covering different cancer types (lung, bowel, melanoma, prostate, etc.), focusing on symptoms, risk factors, referral guidelines (e.g. NICE NG12), and communication with patients.
🩺 Primary care focus:
Helps GPs improve confidence in recognising possible cancer symptoms and making timely referrals.
📊 Evidence-based:
Developed with input from oncologists, cancer specialists, and patient experiences.
💻 Accessible online:
Available free of charge to NHS staff in England.
🌍 Impact:
Designed to reduce diagnostic delays, which can significantly improve survival outcomes.
GatewayC itself is not designed for patients – it’s an education and training platform for healthcare professionals (mainly GPs, nurses, and other primary care staff).
That said, it can indirectly help patients with skin cancer in a few important ways:
✅ Earlier recognition:
GatewayC has a dedicated Skin Cancer module which trains GPs to spot suspicious moles, lesions, and other warning signs of melanoma or non-melanoma skin cancers.
✅ Better referrals:
It supports doctors in applying the NICE suspected cancer guidelines (NG12), helping them make timely 2-week-wait referrals to dermatology.
✅ Improved communication:
Modules also cover how GPs can talk to patients about concerns, referrals, and what to expect next.
✅ Raising GP confidence:
By strengthening GP knowledge, patients are less likely to experience delays or misdiagnosis.
Benefits for Patients
As mentioned earlier patients don’t have any access GatewayC themselves – it’s designed specifically for healthcare professionals dealing with a whole array of different cancers but it makes their first point of contact in the NHS (the GP) more skilled, confident, and effective in recognising and acting on possible skin cancer. This translates into earlier diagnosis, faster treatment, and better survival outcomes.
- Earlier diagnosis
- Faster treatment, and
- Better survivor outcomes
All in all GatewayC is a huge step in the right direction. An earlier diagnosis should always result in a better outcome for the patient and also a massive financial saving for the NHS.
