Services and Impact in NHS Scotland

• Over 50 rapid prof-to-prof clinical advice lines available.
• Over 290,000 prof-to-prof clinical advice calls placed.
• 48% of calls to acute specialties have resulted in the patient avoiding an unnecessary trip to hospital and being signposted to the right community or hospital facility, first time.

• Launched in 2018.
• Over 44,000 rapid prof-to-prof clinical advice calls placed by Primary Care clinicians.
• 50% of calls to elective specialties have resulted in the patient avoiding an unnecessary trip to hospital and being signposted to the right community or hospital facility, first time.

The Mental Health Assessment Unit (MHAU) line connects Primary Care clinicians to senior nurses for same-day emergency mental health assessments:

• Over 3,000 rapid prof-to-prof clinical advice calls placed to the MHAU line.
• 15% of calls to the MHAU line have resulted in the patient avoiding an unnecessary referral.

• Launched in 2020.
• Over 8,600 rapid prof-to-prof clinical advice calls placed by Primary Care clinicians.
• 67% of calls to elective specialties have resulted in the patient avoiding an unnecessary trip to hospital and being signposted to the right community or hospital facility, first time.
• 70% of calls avoided an unnecessary emergency department (ED) admission via the ‘call before convey’ pathway being used.

The Patient Connect line enables non-emergency patients and their carers to speak directly with ED consultants, rather than attend an emergency department:

• Over 1,000 calls have been placed to patients through Patient Connect.
• 60% of calls resulted in the patient being signposted to the right place or in no further action being required.

• Launched in 2018.
• Over 98,000 rapid prof-to-prof clinical advice calls placed by the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS).
• 49% of calls to acute specialties have resulted in the patient avoiding an unnecessary trip to hospital and being signposted to the right community or hospital facility, first time.
• The use of a ‘call before convey’ pathway enables SAS clinicians to use Consultant Connect to contact local ED consultants when seeing patients with non-life-threatening conditions.
• Over 60 prof-to-prof clinical advice messages sent by the Scottish Ambulance Service to the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Referral Pathway.

The Covid Treatment Enquiry Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU) line enables patients to initiate an IG-secure virtual consultation with a specialist clinician:

• Over 6,500 calls have been placed by patients to the line.
• 33% of calls resulted in the patient being signposted to the right place.

• Launched in June 2024
• Enhanced Telephone Professional-to-Professional Advice service has been implemented across Forth Valley Health Board for urgent care. As the uptake of our services spreads across Scotland, the project will help reduce Emergency Department attendance in time for winter, and the team at Forth Valley aims to mirror the successful urgent care pathways in NHS Lanarkshire and Tayside.