How to Get a Mole Checked in the UK: GP, NHS Referral and Private Options

The NHS route to a mole check starts at your GP practice. The NHS advises seeing a GP if a mole has changed in size, shape or colour, is painful or itchy, or is inflamed, bleeding or crusty. It also lists a dark area under a nail that an injury did not cause, and a new or unusual mark that has not gone away after a few weeks ^[1].

You do not need a private referral or a photo app result first. Tell the receptionist it is a skin spot that has changed. If you want to show photos, ask the practice how to send them securely ^[8]. The GP looks at the spot, may use dermoscopy ^[2], and decides between reassurance, routine monitoring, a non-urgent referral or an urgent one.

If your GP suspects cancer, the NHS says you may get an urgent referral for more tests or to see a specialist in hospital. It does not definitely mean you have cancer ^[1].

NICE guidance for GPs in England says to use a suspected cancer pathway referral for melanoma when a suspicious pigmented lesion scores 3 or more on the weighted 7-point checklist, or when dermoscopy suggests melanoma ^[2]. Change in size, irregular shape and irregular colour score 2 points each. A diameter of 7 mm or more, inflammation, oozing and a change in sensation score 1 point each ^[2]. A suspected squamous cell carcinoma can also be referred this way, while a suspected basal cell carcinoma is usually referred non-urgently unless a delay would matter, for example because of its site or size ^[2].

The checklist is for the GP, not a self-test. If you want a version you can use at home, our free ABCDE checker covers asymmetry, border, colour, diameter and change.

In England the old "two-week wait" is no longer the target: from October 2023 it was replaced by the Faster Diagnosis Standard, which aims for you to be told whether you have cancer within 28 days of an urgent referral ^[3]. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland do not have that standard; Wales uses a Suspected Cancer Pathway with a single 62-day target ^[3].

In September 2026 (data released 12 November 2026) NHS England reported that 76.2% of people referred urgently were told within 28 days whether they had cancer or had it ruled out, and 70.7% of those treated began first treatment within 62 days of an urgent suspected cancer referral, breast symptomatic referral, urgent screening referral or consultant upgrade ^[4]. These figures cover all cancers in England, not skin cancer alone, and we did not find a skin-only figure we could verify.

A non-urgent dermatology referral is a different queue, and waits vary by area. Ask your practice or the hospital how long the routine list is where you live. A longer routine wait does not change the advice to go back to your GP if the spot changes, bleeds or grows while you wait.

Private checks are a choice, not a requirement, and prices vary by clinic. Two published examples, read in November 2026, show the spread. Ramsay Health lists a full-body screening package from £205, including a medical report sent to you and your GP ^[5]. Welbeck lists mole mapping from £330 for up to five dermoscopy images (£10 for each extra one), with a separate consultant fee of £250 to £400, so about £580 to £730 for mapping with the consultation ^[6]. The same consultant fee applies if you only want one mole looked at ^[6].

Most insurers do not cover mole mapping for people with no history of melanoma, so it is usually self-pay ^[5]. Ask what the price includes: the consultation, the scan, a written report and any follow-up. A biopsy or removal is normally charged separately.

A private appointment does not replace urgent care for a mole that is bleeding, changing fast or not healing.

A short, specific story helps the GP. Bring or note:

- Photos of the spot taken in natural, bright light with a coin or ruler beside it: one showing where it is on your body, one with nearby normal skin, and one close-up, with the date ^[8] - When you first noticed it, and what has changed (size, shape, colour, itching, bleeding, crusting) - Other moles that worry you or look different from the rest - Sunburn and sunbed history, and any family history of melanoma - Your questions, such as whether it needs a referral, and when to come back if it changes

If you have older photos of the same spot, bring them. They show change over time, which a single look cannot.

Online tools can help you prepare, not replace the GP. A private online dermatology service lets a doctor review photos you send; the doctor cannot examine the whole skin or use a dermatoscope in person, so a worrying result still leads to an in-person visit.

CheckMole offers two things. The ABCDE questionnaire is free and does not use AI: you answer questions about the spot and see which warning signs it matches. The AI photo check is paid: $4.99 per check, one-time, and it describes what is visible in your photo and suggests a next step. It does not diagnose, and it does not replace a GP or dermatologist. A result that says nothing alarming does not cancel the advice above.

See a doctor today: bleeding that will not stop with firm pressure, or a wound that is red, hot, swollen and spreading, with pus or fever. If you cannot reach your GP and need help that is not an emergency, NHS 111 can direct you to the right place ^[7]. Call 999 in an emergency.

Book within 2 weeks: a mole or spot that has changed in size, shape or colour, bleeds or crusts without an injury, itches or hurts, or a sore that has not healed after about four weeks. Also a dark area under a nail that an injury did not cause ^[1], or a new mole in an adult. This is how soon to ask for an appointment, not an NHS waiting-time target.

Book in the next few weeks: an unusual mark that has not gone away after a few weeks and has no red flags ^[1].

Mention it at your next check-up: a stable mole you have always had, with no change.