How nurses utilise Consultant Connect services across the UK

Launched in April 2023, the Heart Failure Telephone Advice & Guidance line is provided to local NHS clinicians in East Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board by Heart Failure Nurse Specialists at Wrexham Hospital. The service is designed for patients to be safely treated in the most appropriate environment, avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions or referrals when clinically appropriate.

The nurses set out specific patient symptoms suitable for the pathway, including queries regarding patients with suspected heart failure, increased breathlessness, peripheral oedema, and PND or orthopnoea, to name a few. Setting out inclusion and exclusion criteria in this way helps to guide clinicians in Primary Care on when to utilise the service, ensuring patients are seen in the right place by the right person, the first time.

‘Nurse-led lines set up via Consultant Connect provide many benefits to Primary Care clinicians and their patients, alike. The Heart Failure line in Betsi Cadwaladr has given healthcare professionals direct access to expert advice from the nurse specialists, who have detailed knowledge of the resources and pathways available to patients dealing with this complex condition. The advice provided by the specialist nurses not only helps avoid unnecessary hospital visits but also allows patients who need to be referred to be navigated to the correct services in the first instance.’

– Bronwen Dunning, Account Manager at Consultant Connect.

The Diabetes Messaging Advice & Guidance line provided by Diabetes Nurse Specialists at Glan Clwyd Hospital has been delivering rapid advice to Primary Care clinicians in Central Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board since 2022. The service enables healthcare professionals to securely send messages at any time and attach any relevant patient files for context. Inclusion criteria, set out by the Diabetes Nurse Specialists, indicate that use of the line is suitable for advice regarding escalating oral therapies in type 2 diabetes, injectable (GLP-1) therapies, insulin initiation and/or dose adjustment, and de-escalating diabetes therapies (due to improvements in diet and lifestyle), when clinicians are not sure on the next steps.

‘Seeking advice from the Diabetes Specialist Nursing Team will often reduce the need to refer, help to provide more timely individualised treatment options, and support up-to-date evidence-based practice for people living with diabetes.’

– Julie Lewis, Nurse Consultant.

Managed by a Lead Head & Neck and Thyroid Clinical Nurse Specialist at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the Suspected Head & Neck Cancer Messaging service launched in May 2023. A unique specialty, Head & Neck Oncology has a low conversion rate to cancer. Part of the reason is that head and neck cancer symptoms are vague and can often indicate less sinister diagnoses. The service allows Primary Care clinicians to send messages to a team of nurse specialists, with patient imaging or photos attached, which can be reviewed, and advice can be given as to whether a referral is needed, and, if so, what type.

‘Before the implementation of this line, we didn’t receive many queries for advice. There was no way to discuss or flag patients with suspected cancer and no way of accessing next-day/week appointments for patients who needed them. Regardless of their urgency, all referrals went into the same system, and only 1 in 10 patients required specialist attention. Providing the messaging service is not arduous or demanding. This is a same-day messaging service with a rota covered by the CNS Team as the first point of contact.’

– Denise Flynn, Lead Head & Neck and Thyroid Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Within the Minor Injuries Unit at Blairgowrie Community Hospital, nurse Kirsty Wilkinson uses the IG-secure clinical photography feature, PhotoSAF, within the Consultant Connect App to take images of patients’ dermatological issues. The service is safe, secure, and GDPR-compliant and healthcare professionals can use it to help them make referral decisions. At the Minor Injuries Unit, PhotoSAF is also used for staff training as it was recognised that a staff member’s Steri-Strip technique could be improved after discussing a patient’s photo.

‘A patient under my care was suffering from a leg ulcer which was taking a long time to heal. The patient had become low in mood as they felt the wound was not healing and had become malodorous. I could track the patient’s progress by using PhotoSAF to take photos of their condition. After some time, I could explain the healing process to the patient. The photo progression allowed me to show the approach to the patient, even if it was slow. This really benefitted them as it improved their mental health. It also allowed a detailed handover to a colleague for holiday cover.’

– Kirsty Wilkinson, Nurse.