Latest Blogs
Transforming the care of older people
Advances in healthcare mean more of us are living longer, and, in recognition of the International Day of Older People, we’re showcasing how we support clinicians in providing the best care for these patients.
How Consultant Connect is supporting contributions to enhanced cardiovascular health
In England, the NHS’ Long Term Plan identifies CVD as a clinical priority and the single biggest condition in which lives can be saved over the next 10 years.
Integrated Neighbourhood Teams: using Consultant Connect tech to empower collaboration
Established to inspire and celebrate collaborative working, Integrated Neighbourhood Teams are a national initiative to improve the health and wellbeing of local communities.
Exclusive Preview: Impact of Enhanced Advice & Guidance
For over nine years, Consultant Connect has been rapidly connecting NHS healthcare professionals for pre-referral Advice & Guidance (A&G). Discover our headline trends…
NHS winter funding applications
Traditionally, this is the time of year when ‘surprise’ NHS winter money is released.
How emergency services utilise Consultant Connect across the UK
This Emergency Services Day, we’re highlighting how seven ambulance trusts up and down the UK use Consultant Connect to speak rapidly and directly with clinicians to discuss whether A&E is the most suitable destination for their patients.
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Transforming the care of older people
Advances in healthcare mean more of us are living longer, and, in recognition of the International Day of Older People, we’re showcasing how we support clinicians in providing the best care for these patients.
How Consultant Connect is supporting contributions to enhanced cardiovascular health
In England, the NHS' Long Term Plan identifies CVD as a clinical priority and the single biggest condition in which lives can be saved over the next 10 years.
Integrated Neighbourhood Teams: using Consultant Connect tech to empower collaboration
Established to inspire and celebrate collaborative working, Integrated Neighbourhood Teams are a national initiative to improve the health and wellbeing of local communities.
Exclusive Preview: Impact of Enhanced Advice & Guidance
For over nine years, Consultant Connect has been rapidly connecting NHS healthcare professionals for pre-referral Advice & Guidance (A&G). Discover our headline trends...
NHS winter funding applications
Traditionally, this is the time of year when ‘surprise’ NHS winter money is released.
How emergency services utilise Consultant Connect across the UK
This Emergency Services Day, we’re highlighting how seven ambulance trusts up and down the UK use Consultant Connect to speak rapidly and directly with clinicians to discuss whether A&E is the most suitable destination for their patients.
Consultant Connect: supporting resident doctors across the NHS
Supporting resident doctors on clinical journeys, Consultant Connect's Enhanced Advice & Guidance service is used by over half of the NHS in England, Scotland, and Wales, connecting clinicians with specialists for rapid discussions.
Meeting the requirements of NHSE’s SPoA guidance
We highlight ways Consultant Connect is already helping systems meet the requirements set out in NHSE’s latest single point of access (SPoA) guidance in time for winter.
The benefits of Referral Triage
Our Referral Triage and Clinical Validation service uses the expertise of NHS consultants who work remotely as 'virtual locums' to triage referral backlogs in bulk and new referrals as they come in.
Improving cancer care in Leeds
Our teledermatology project at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has been working to speed up diagnosis of skin lesions and reduce demand on the two-week wait (2WW) pathway since June 2018.
Introducing e-RS Connect
Using our e-RS Connect interface, secondary care clinicians perform the same tasks in less than half the time. They can review Advice & Guidance requests, convert them to referrals, ask for more information, or return requests with advice.
Referral Triage and Validation Infographic
Our new infographic reveals key impact to date along with service benefits and feedback from NHS Trusts. Find out more and download your copy today.
Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) In South East London
South East London ICB have set up links to efficiently route GPs to their Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) services, allowing for a more specialised approach when it comes to treating patients requiring urgent medical care. We recently caught up with Dr Roshan Navin, Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT) Clinical Lead for Acute Medicine & SDEC to find out about his experience of the SDEC service via Consultant Connect.
Services and Impact in NHS Scotland
Find out how Scottish Health Boards and the Scottish Ambulance Service are using Consultant Connect to transform communication and improve patient care.
Top tips for a successful Referral Triage and Validation project
Following our NHS panel discussion, consultants delivering Referral Triage explained the steps and what they entail:
Referral Triage and Validation: reducing the ever-increasing elective care waiting list
Delivered by NHS consultants on the National Consultant Network (NCN), our clinically led service provides virtual management plans for long waiters or new referrals and has proven to reduce waiting lists by 33% on average, even more in some specialties. Find out more.
Rethinking referrals and delivering effective services in the community
It’s well known that giving GPs tools such as immediate access to remote consultant-led advice enables more patients to be managed in primary care settings and leads to fewer unnecessary referrals. So, can’t the same be true when it comes to delivering services in the community? It can, and it is.
Improving the care of Children and Young People
In this article, we share examples of how Consultant Connect is used to support clinicians seeing Children and Young People (CYPs).
How Enhanced Advice & Guidance can help provide the best care this Men’s Health Week
This Men's Health Week, we're showcasing how Enhanced Advice & Guidance has been employed across the NHS to enhance patient care for men.
Do big problems mean big opportunities in the NHS?
Jonathan Patrick, CEO at Consultant Connect, one of the UK’s leading telemedicine providers, discusses the current situation in the NHS and opportunities going forward.
Press Release: Health tech cuts neurology waiting lists by more than half in fewer than two months
Consultant Connect technology enabled the triage of over 1,000 referrals at Kettering General Hospital in fewer than two months. This breakthrough comes at a time when more than 230,000 patients are on neurology waiting lists across England, waiting on average 17 weeks.
‘Call before convey’ in NHS Lanarkshire: six months in
Half a year on from the permanent implementation of ‘call before convey’ in NHS Lanarkshire, the pathway is becoming more and more embedded into every-day ways of working for ambulance clinicians.
Urgent Care Pathways – Examples in Practice
Our new urgent care pathways overview download showcases projects that are paving the way to improve patient care and clinician experiences. Find out more and download your copy today.
Formalising an existing line for better visibility and improved processes
Moving local hotline arrangements such as ‘on-call’ or ‘hot-week’ consultant lines to Consultant Connect brings everything in one place, centralising the whole Advice & Guidance process, delivering efficiencies, and benefiting all parties involved. This is exactly what happened to the ‘Integrated Elderly Care Silver Phone’ in Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust (BHT).
Get ready for winter this summer
We’re working with trusts and commissioners across the NHS to make their telephone advice lines and call before convey strategies more reliable, to be ready by September, in time for winter.
Cutting down NHS gynaecology waiting times
Kat James, Director of New Projects at Consultant Connect, one of the UK’s leading telemedicine providers, explains how the company is working with the NHS to cut down gynaecology waiting times.
How Advice & Guidance via Consultant Connect is helping to bridge the gap between physical and mental health
This Mental Health Awareness Week, we want to celebrate how NHS healthcare professionals are utilising Consultant Connect services to support with ensuring patients receive the right care faster.
How nurses utilise Consultant Connect services across the UK
This International Nurses Day, we're taking the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the contribution nurses make to the NHS.
Press Release: Groundbreaking health tech project rolled out to help patients in Scotland avoid unnecessary trips to A&E
This health-tech connects Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) paramedics in the Lanarkshire area with local A&E consultants via the ‘Call Before Convey’ pathway within four seconds.
Meeting the requirements of NHSE’s FRAIL strategy using Consultant Connect tech
NHS England recently published new guidance for FRAILTY strategies to support the delivery of frailty pathways which Consultant Connect can help to implement.
How Consultant Connect can help implement the SAMEDAY strategy to support your SDEC pathway
NHS England recently published seven priorities for the SAMEDAY strategy to support the delivery of same-day emergency care which Consultant Connect can help to implement.
Reducing waiting lists efficiently
Consultant Connect’s clinically-led Referral Triage and Validation service supports specialty teams to reduce their waiting list backlogs in bulk and/or new referrals as they come in.
How technology is cutting down NHS waiting lists
Kat James, Director of New Projects at Consultant Connect, one of the UK’s leading telemedicine providers, explains how the company is working with the NHS to cut down on waiting lists using technology that’s simpler than you think.
Proven approaches to meet the NHS targets
Systems using Consultant Connect are well placed to meet the requirements set in the latest NHSE 2024/25 priorities and operational planning guidance.
Reducing the 52-week burden in neurology
GIRFT's handbook 'Further Faster Neurology' provides best practice guidance to accelerate the reductions of neurology waiting lists. Here's where remote 'virtual locum' NHS consultants fit in.
Press Release: Burma Skincare Initiative uses UK technology to transform patient care
Burma Skincare Initiative using Consultant Connect is set to revolutionise healthcare for people with severe skin conditions in Myanmar.
Reducing the 52-week burden in E.N.T
GIRFT’s handbook ‘Further Faster Ear, Nose and Throat’ provides best practice guidance to accelerate the reductions of E.N.T waiting lists. Here’s where a remote service that works on local systems and utilises NHS consultants from out of area can support with some of the tasks.
Suspected Head & Neck Cancer Messaging service
The Suspected Head & Neck Cancer messaging service was launched in May 2023 to all clinicians in North Central London ICB. We caught up with the Lead Head & Neck and Thyroid Clinical Nurse Specialist who manages the line, and a GP who used the line to find out more.
Thousands of elderly patients avoid unnecessary hospital queues thanks to health tech
The Dorset Echo published an article highlighting Consultant Connect’s successful 2023, helping thousands of elderly patients avoid unnecessary hospital queues.
Press Release: Thousands of elderly patients avoid unnecessary hospital queues thanks to health tech
Consultant Connect tech helps 150,000 elderly and frail patients across the UK to avoid unnecessary hospital queues in 2023.
Prof-to-prof advice in NHS Tayside
Professional-to-professional clinical decisions provided by Consultant Connect has been available to clinicians in Tayside for 6 years, supporting them in caring for their patients.
Waiting lists reduced by 29%
Does your local area need the extra temporary clinical capacity for referral triage and validation? There's NHS consultant capacity to clear waiting lists remotely:
Safely reducing NHS waiting lists
Did you know our National Consultant Network of NHS consultants can deliver Advice & Guidance on local referral systems (e.g. e-RS) plus triage and validate referrals, reducing waiting lists by a third on average?
SWFT and Consultant Connect win Health Tech Case Study of the Year! HTN Now Awards 2023/24
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) and Consultant Connect have won this year’s Health Tech Case Study of the Year category at the HTN Now Awards for transforming Frailty and Elderly Care.
Best use of elective recovery funds – waiting list triage
Did you know that referral triage and validation using remote NHS consultants results in 29% of patients coming off the waiting list and getting the care they need immediately? It’s the cheapest, quickest way of cutting waiting lists and improving patient care:
FAQs – Referral Triage and Clinical Validation for the NHS
In this article, we share answers to the questions we’ve been asked the most since we launched our Referral Triage and Validation service.
Referral Triage and Validation | Impact and Benefits
Our consultant-led long-waiter Referral Triage and Validation service clears waiting list backlogs in bulk and/or new referrals as they come in. The service uses the expertise of the NHS consultants from our National Consultant Network (NCN).
Impact | Dermatology Triage in Hywel Dda UHB
NHS Trusts across the country continue to turn to our clinically-led Referral Triage and Clinical Validation service to reduce their waiting lists backlogs and new patient referrals. We recently triaged over 1,200 dermatology referrals in Hywel Dda University Health Board, read on to find out more.
Consultant Connect helps 200,000+ patients avoid unnecessary hospital trips
The Business Magazine published an article highlighting Consultant Connect's successful 2023, saving more than 200,000 patients from needless trips to the hospital.
SWFT and Consultant Connect | Health Tech Case Study of the Year
We are delighted to announce that South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) has been shortlisted as a finalist for the HTN Awards 2024 in the category of Health Tech Case Study of the Year.
2023 – Our biggest hits
As we start a new year, we look back and reflect on some of Consultant Connect's 'biggest hits' of 2023.
2023 Consultant Connect Awards: Special Achievement
2023 Consultant Connect Awards - read on to find out the winners of the Special Achievement category…
2023 Consultant Connect Awards: Patient Impact – Best Overall Projects
2023 Consultant Connect Awards - read on to find out the winners of the Patient Impact: Best Overall Projects category…
Using Consultant Connect for Frailty pathways
Joe Matthews, Senior Urgent and Emergency Care Lead at NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) ICB, discusses how relaunching their frailty line with Consultant Connect August 2021 has allowed Primary Care clinicians and ambulance teams to have a conversation and practice the ‘call before convey’ method before unnecessarily bringing a frailty patient into a busy ED.
Reduce Neurology waiting lists by 30-50%
Our ‘switch-off/switch-on' National Consultant Network supports neurology teams across the country working remotely to triage waiting lists. Consultants follow local pathways and protocols, under the leadership of local clinical leads.
Reduce referral-to-treatment wait times through triage and validation
Hear from a Neurology and Dermatology consultant on how the National Consultant Network is helping NHS areas needing extra clinical capacity to reduce their waiting lists. It's a switch on/switch off service.
Remote clinical capacity on demand
Find out how the National Consultant Network is helping NHS areas needing extra clinical capacity. It's a switch on/switch off service.
‘Call before convey’ in NHS Lanarkshire: From 3-day pilot to business as usual
Consultant Connect has been connecting Primary Care clinicians with specialists in Lanarkshire for Professional-to-Professional Advice since November 2020. In August 2023, NHS Lanarkshire launched a ‘call before convey’ pilot encouraging Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) clinicians across the Health Board to use Consultant Connect to contact local ED consultants, within the Flow Navigation Centre, when seeing patients with non-life-threatening conditions.
Milton Keynes Hospital celebrates first birthday of its medical centre which has treated over 20,000 patients
MK Citizen have published an article celebrating the Maple Centre's 1st birthday and highlighting how the use of Consultant Connect has helped clinicians treat over 20,000 patients.
NHS optimising dermatology care with telemedicine technology
Integrated Care Journal published an article on the impact of using Consultant Connect’s teledermatology service.
Winter Resilience Plans | Advice & Guidance can help
Winter resilience strategies will have to be wide ranging. At their heart will be the need to keep patients out of hospital and ensure that only those patients who need to be seen face-to-face by a clinician attend their hospital. A good place to start is with improving communications, and that’s where our service can help.
Best use of innovative technology funds for the NHS
In this article, we share three ways Consultant Connect's innovative tech can help NHS areas.
In The Press: The impact of technology on NHS waiting times
Read Building Better Healthcare’s interview with Henry Maas, head of new initiatives at Consultant Connect.
Introducing Advice and Refer by Consultant Connect
Advice and referrals in half the steps of the e-RS system NHSE announced last week that it would be pushing to make advice a more central feature of the process for referring patients for ...
Sneak peek: Enhanced Advice & Guidance Impact
How many NHS areas, clinicians, GP surgeries and patients are benefitting from Enhanced Advice & Guidance? What role does Advice & Guidance have to play in the post-covid NHS landscape? Here's a sneak peek into our new benchmarking report which will answer these questions and much more...
Consultant Connect bridges gap in frailty services for Ambulance Trust in England
A pilot project was launched whereby ambulance clinicians could use Consultant Connect to seek Telephone A&G regarding frail patients, as there is no local service available.
Impact of Neurology Triage
In this article, we share an example of how our consultant-led Referral Triage and Validation service is being used to reduce neurology waiting lists.
The remote NHS consultants helping to tackle the NHS waiting list crisis
Have you heard of the remote NHS consultants who are helping NHS areas across the country clear their waiting lists? The service can be switched on at pace, meaning the impact on patient care is immediate.
How PDSAs can help you launch successful Advice & Guidance projects
A PDSA is an excellent way of testing whether a project will work without long-term commitment.
Case Study: Providing urgent health care at home for older people living with frailty
NHS Confederation recently published a case study about the Silver Triage initiative, enabling specialist geriatricians to provide advice, via Consultant Connect, to ambulance paramedics who are assessing older people.
Long-Term Conditions: 3 ways we can help
Three examples of how Consultant Connect services are being used to help clinicians align to provide a more patient-centred approach for people with long-term conditions.
Area Case Study | Using PIFU for LTC patients in Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes
MS and Epilepsy Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU) services are reducing unnecessary visits to hospital and improving patient waiting times at Bedfordshire Hospitals. Short video clips included in this article show clinicians talking about what impact this has made…
Advice from Emergency Consultants one phone call away – NHS Tayside Health Board five years on
Since October 2018, GPs, Paramedics and Junior Doctors in Tayside were given access to rapid prof-to-prof clinical decisions via Consultant Connect from Consultants at Ninewells Hospital. How has the service been performing and what has the feedback been?
‘On demand’ capacity for enhanced clinical triage and validation
Trusts with local consultant capacity challenges are benefiting from extra temporary virtual NHS consultants to triage their waiting lists via our ‘on demand’ enhanced clinical triage and validation service.
Case Studies: Teledermatology via Consultant Connect
There's nothing more powerful than case studies to highlight the benefits of Teledermatology to patients and clinicians. This article features a selection of pieces which show how our services are playing a significant part in improving patient care.
Improving the care of patients with neurological conditions
In this article, we share examples of how Consultant Connect is used to support clinicians seeing patients with neurological conditions.
Clinical capacity on demand
Find out how the National Consultant Network is helping NHS areas needing extra clinical capacity. It's a switch on/switch off service.
Watch | BBC East Midlands Today – Consultant Connect in Leicester
BBC East Midlands Today's Health Correspondent Rob Sissons reports on how Consultant Connect tech is being used across Leicester to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and support patients to be treated in the right place at the right time.
Consultant Connect helps perform safer dermatology surgeries in Leicester
Using Consultant Connect has become the gold standard within the dermatology team at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.
Consultant Connect Experiences, with a hospital improvement programme manager
Andy Finlay, Improvement Programme Manager, Patient First Improvement Team at NMUH, shares insight into the team’s experience of Consultant Connect, including the benefits to clinicians, patients, and more.
The UK’s most used Teledermatology Platform
What's the impact of using Consultant Connect for teledermatology? This article shares key stats, user feedback, pathway examples and more...
Primary and Secondary Care working together
Our project in South London features in the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges new clinically-led report highlighting over 50 examples where local collaboration has helped to improve links between primary and secondary care.
Dermatology triage manages clinical risk and captures upgraded patients to 2WW
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals recently used our Referral Triage service to support their long waiters list in Dermatology. One clear benefit of the work is in the management of clinical risk as it’s capturing the upgraded patients to 2WW as all cases are now triaged.
Taking ‘call before convey’ to the next level
Our Ambulance Accelerator Programme supports Ambulance and Urgent Care teams in implementing and improving 'call before convey'. Find out more.
The Dentistry Project that is streamlining patient care in Swansea Bay
Expert Advice & Guidance in bridging the gap between Primary care clinicians, and specialists in orthodontics and restorative dentistry in first-of-it's-kind project
In The Press: New ‘silver triage’ service to help avoid unnecessary hospital trips
Consultant Connect’s ‘silver triage’ project in North London recently featured in Evening Standard.
Expansions and Innovations in Coventry and Warwickshire ICB
The evolution of our project with Coventry and Warwickshire from when it first launched has been truly impressive. Find out more below.
In the press: The remote revolution helping to tackle the NHS backlog
Building Better Healthcare: Consultant Connect enables clinicians to triage waiting lists anywhere in the country.
5 minutes with…our Group Customer Success Director
In this article, we catch up with Emma Berresford, Group Customer Success Director at Consultant Connect, to learn more about her role and how she supports the NHS.
Referral Triage and Diagnostic review
The success of the triage work led to further expansion of the service, now supporting the trust to efficiently review their cardiology diagnostic results.
SWFT Integrated Frailty Service
SWFT's integrated frailty service is featured in NHSE's latest delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services. Read the feature and watch our latest video case study.
SDEC: Growth and Impact
What is the impact of moving SDEC access to Consultlant Connect? We've crunched the numbers to reveal the impressive impact and growth of SDEC lines available via Consultant Connect in the last 12 months.
In the press: A&E capacity unlocked by Consultant Connect’s pioneering “talk before you walk” tech
In the press: Consultant Connect pioneering tech is used to ease pressures on A&E by connecting paramedics to consultants and SDEC specialists.
A GP writes: Helping patients with their Mental Health
In this blog article, Dr Griffiths, a practising GP and the Medical Director of Consultant Connect, writes about helping patients with their Mental Health.
4 ways to relieve pressures on hospital teams
In this article, we share examples of how virtual clinical capacities are supporting NHS areas across the UK relieve pressures on local teams and improve patient care.
Gynaecology triage in Coventry and Warwickshire
Due to a build-up of gynaecology referrals, a Referral Validation project at University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire was initiated in 2022 resulting in a significant reduction of patients needing to be on the waiting list.
In Practice | Clearing NHS waiting lists
Clearing NHS waiting lists may seem daunting, but it doesn’t need to be. Our consultant-led long-waiter Referral Triage service clears waiting list backlogs in bulk and/or new referrals as they come in. The service uses the expertise of the NHS consultants from our National Consultant Network (NCN).
Reducing the referral backlog for community paediatrics in Buckinghamshire
Due to a significant backlog of patients awaiting a community paediatrics appointment in Buckinghamshire, a Referral Triage project was initiated for 450 existing cases.
NHS A&G – It’s not just for GPs
When Consultant Connect first started providing Advice & Guidance (A&G) it was just GPs that used the service to speak to specialists. Find out how this has changed.
Patient leaflet – What is Advice & Guidance and how is it used for patients?
This patient leaflet includes information for NHS patients about what Advice & Guidance is and how healthcare practitioners, such as their GPs are using Advice & Guidance to get the best care for their patients.
In the press: App connects local dentists with consultants for expert advice and support
After being used successfully by GPs, Consultant Connect has now been adopted by dentists in both general dental services (GDS) and community dental services (CDS) in Swansea Bay. The project was featured on Wales247 and Swansea Bay University Health Board News.
Consultant Connect bridges communication between mental health and acute care in South London in first-of-its-kind project
Telephone A&G provided by Consultant Connect aids mental health clinicians in seeking advice in the same way it is available for clinicians in Primary Care.
Consultant Connect featured in new IMPHS report
Consultant Connect is featured in the latest IMPHS report. We've replicated the feature below.
30% – 45% of long-waiters receive initial treatments plans
Our Referral Triage service continues to support NHS hospitals and trusts with their recovery work. Find out how...
2022 – A year in review
As we are getting close to the end of 2022, we reflect on some of our highlights over the past year.
2022 Consultant Connect Awards: Special Achievement
2022 Consultant Connect Awards - read on to find out the winners of the Special Achievement category…
2022 Consultant Connect Awards: A&G – Best Overall Projects
2022 Consultant Connect Awards - read on to find out the winners of the Advice & Guidance: Best Overall Projects category…
Consultant Connect in Coventry and Warwickshire ICB
What started as a Consultant Connect project focused on A&G provision in Coventry and Warwickshire has since seen significant ICB-wide and localised place-based expansions and innovations.
In Practice | Reducing RTT waiting times
We recently hosted a webinar highlighting how our Referral Triage service has supported hospitals with referral backlog challenges and staffing shortages in elective care.
Best Elective Care Recovery Initiative: NHS partners & Consultant Connect shortlisted for HSJ Partnership Award
Our Referral Triage service, which has been supporting a number of hospitals by eliminating long waits & improving patient care, has been shortlisted alongside NHS partners for the 'Best Elective Care Recovery Initiative' award at the HSJ Partnership 2023 Awards.
Frail Older Adults: SWFT & Consultant Connect shortlisted for HSJ Partnership Award
Our project with South Warwickshire University Foundation Trust (SWFT) has been shortlisted for the HealthTech Partnership of the Year at the HSJ Partnership 2023 Awards.
SDEC: Growth and Impact
We've crunched the numbers to reveal the impressive impact and growth of SDEC lines available via Consultant Connect in the last 12 months.
In Practice | PIFU pathways via Consultant Connect
Susan Paterson, Associate Director at NHS Tayside, tells us about introducing PIFU pathways via Consultant Connect…
In Practice | Rapid Advice & Guidance in Salford
In November 2020, Salford Care Organisation, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust were looking for a way of providing same day urgent advice and guidance for primary care whilst also reducing unnecessary attendances and referrals to the hospital. They commissioned Consultant Connect.
Consultant Connect replaces bleep system for rheumatology at Salford Royal Hospital
In April 2022, the rheumatology department at Salford Royal implemented Consultant Connect Telephone Advice & Guidance as a replacement service for their bleep system.
Revolution in child cancer diagnosis eases anxiety for patients and families
Children with cancer symptoms are being diagnosed faster thanks to ground-breaking telemedicine technology and better guidelines – easing the anxiety for them and their families.
Referral Triage | Outcomes and Impact
Our Referral Triage service continues to support NHS hospitals and trusts with their recovery work. Find out more...
Consultant Connect set up advice line within 24 hours to assist with outbreak of monkeypox
NHS South East London ICS began talks with Consultant Connect on 30th May to assist Primary Care with access to specialist advice amidst the monkeypox outbreak.
Three NHS areas that set up Consultant Connect projects quicker than ever
We’re working with clients across the NHS to implement Advice & Guidance services in time for winter, so if you’re looking for a solution, it’s not too late. The three examples below show NHS areas that set up Telephone Advice & Guidance (A&G) projects quicker than ever.
ENT triage pilot: 39% of long waiters benefit from management plan
A Trust in the North of England asked us to support them with a pilot Referral Triage project, looking at patients who have been on the ENT waiting list for 50-60 weeks. The initial pilot covered 200 patients on the ENT waiting list, and 39% of patients were returned to clinicians in Primary Care with written Advice & Guidance.
Area Case Study | Referral Triage in Norfolk
In April 2021, Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn (QEHKL) and Norfolk and Waveney CCG decided to use Consultant Connect’s Referral Triage service to run a pilot project focusing on the first outpatient’s waiting list for Cardiology.
Early Impact: Gynaecology triage
In July 2022, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) decided to use Consultant Connect’s Referral Triage service to run a project focusing on their gynaecology waiting list. Over a quarter of the waiting list has been triaged to date, and early results show a significant impact in directing patients to the most appropriate pathway, improving their care.
In Practice | Referral Triage
Our Referral Triage service continues to support NHS hospitals and trusts with their recovery work. Find out how...
National Consultant Network | Impact and Testimonials
Our latest Enhanced Advice & Guidance Performance Benchmarks report highlights just how embedded the National Consultant Network is in the NHS and how it is increasingly being used to support local teams across the UK.
5-year contract awarded after successful A&G pilot
Consultant Connect was launched in partnership with NHS North Central London Integrated Care Board (NCL ICB) as a one-year pilot project to assist with the pressures of Covid-19. Because of the pilot's success, we are incredibly excited to announce that the project has been awarded a 5-year contract.
Sneak peek: Enhanced Advice & Guidance Impact
How many NHS areas, clinicians, GP surgeries and patients are benefitting from Enhanced Advice & Guidance? What role does Advice & Guidance have to play in the post-covid NHS landscape? Here's a sneak peek into our new benchmarking report which will answer these questions and much more...
Proven approaches to increase operational resilience ahead of winter
NHS England has recently set out the next steps for plans to rapidly increase capacity and resilience ahead of winter, building on the operational plans. Consultant Connect can help your area meet the core objectives and support your area’s operational resilience strategy.
Area Case Study | Mental Health Pathway in Greater Glasgow & Clyde
We caught up with Gillian Reilly, Specialist Mental Health Services Manager in Greater Glasgow & Clyde to find out about the Mental Health pathway available via Consultant Connect...
Patient Case Studies: Using A&G for recovery and system resilience
Can technology help NHS areas increase capacity and resilience ahead of winter? The simple answer is yes.
Best Practice Guidance for Professional to Professional Decision Support
We're delighted that Consultant Connect is featured in the Scottish Government Best Practice Document: Best Practice Guidance for Professional to Professional Decision Support.
Referral Triage Impact: ENT and Urology referrals
We can now reveal the impact of the triage work for over 1,000 referrals across ENT and Urology for a Trust in North England, earlier this year.
In Practice | PIFU pathways via Consultant Connect
Maxima Spanakis, Admin Team Lead at the Luton and Dunstable Rheumatology department for Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, tells us about introducing PIFU pathways via Consultant Connect…
SDEC usage has rocketed!
We've crunched the numbers to reveal the impressive impact and growth of SDEC lines available via Consultant Connect in the last 12 months.
Moving SDEC access to Consultant Connect
Moving your SDEC access to Consultant Connect provides a single referral route and point of access for ambulance teams and primary care clinicians to navigate patients.
Oxford tech company Consultant Connect helps NHS to reduce waiting lists
The CEO of a healthtech business which is helping to reduce the NHS waiting list has praised Oxford’s role in its success.
Proven approaches to meet the NHS targets
These three proven, measurable approaches are already helping NHS areas meet the 2022/23 priorities and operational planning guidance targets.
Quick wins – Capture all your A&G data
At Consultant Connect we collect a LOT of data. This enables us to provide regular insightful reports to the CCGs, Health Boards, Hospital Trusts, and ICSs we work with.
Providing vital physical health support at SLaM
King’s Health Partners (KHP) Mind & Body Programme shone a spotlight on the vital improvements Consultant Connect has made to the physical healthcare of people with serious mental illness in South London. You can read the article of KHP’s website or we have replicated it below:
8 ways we can help NHS areas alleviate pressures
How can Consultant Connect help NHS areas start alleviating the pressures, address the challenges they are facing and start focussing on their key priorities?
Area Case Study | COPD Pathway in Tayside
Since March 2022, Paramedics and Ambulance Clinicians in the NHS Tayside Health Board area have been able to contact their local community respiratory nursing team via Consultant Connect for professional-to-professional advice and clinical decisions.
Area Case Study | Patient Connect in Lanarkshire
NHS Lanarkshire has seen a significant impact since introducing the ‘Patient Connect’ service, via Consultant Connect, in December 2020.
Referral Triage saves lives
Dr Patrick Davey is an NHS Consultant Cardiologist and Senior Medical Advisor of Consultant Connect. In this blog article, Dr Davey writes about the benefits of Referral Triage via Consultant Connect.
5 minutes…. with our Referral Triage Lead
In this article, we catch up with our Referral Triage Lead, Kat James, who has been working with NHS areas to help accelerate their recovery work over the past year.
‘It’s good to talk’ – Managing Mental Health in primary care
Dr David Griffiths is a practising GP and the Medical Director of Consultant Connect. In this blog article, Dr Griffiths writes about the benefits of specialist advice when managing patients with Mental Health difficulties.
Referral Triage | Outcomes and Impact
Our Referral Triage service has been supporting systems across the country. This blog article reveals outcomes and impact for over 20,000 referral cases across 14 specialties.
5 minutes…. with our Dermatology Lead
In this article, we catch up with our Head of New Initiatives and Dermatology Lead, Henry Maas.
Tackling gynaecology waiting lists
NHS areas across the country face waiting list backlogs for many specialties, including gynaecology, and staffing issues make it challenging to tackle the elective restoration work. Consultant Connect is being commissioned to support NHS trusts with clinically validating and appropriately prioritising referral waiting lists.
Teledermatology pathway via Consultant Connect/AccuRX in NHS Bedfordshire CCG
NHS England and NHS Improvement – East of England published a paper 'An overview of best practice: Primary Care' featuring case studies showcasing the examples of greater integration and innovation that have benefitted patients and healthcare professionals across the East of England. Consultant Connect is featured in this paper.
Advice & Guidance/ Referral Management via Consultant Connect in NHS Milton Keynes CCG
NHS England and NHS Improvement – East of England published a paper 'An overview of best practice: Primary Care' featuring case studies showcasing the examples of greater integration and innovation that have benefitted patients and healthcare professionals across the East of England. Consultant Connect is featured in this paper.
NHSX highlights Consultant Connect impact on elective recovery
Following on from the elective recovery tech fund being made available via NHSE’s Targeted Investment Fund (TIF), NHSX has published a new directory: ‘Digital products that assist in elective recovery’. Consultant Connect is featured.
How Messaging is being used across the NHS
Patient safety is enhanced when NHS staff can quickly communicate confidential patient information between teams. Fully encrypted instant messaging services are becoming a vital part of the NHS toolkit. In fact, 50% of Advice & Guidance messages sent via Consultant Connect have resulted in patients avoiding an unnecessary trip to hospital.
Beyond Telederm – Uses of Safe Clinical Photography via the Consultant Connect App
The PhotoSAF feature on the Consultant Connect App allows clinicians to take IG compliant photos on their mobile phone. The photos are not saved to the phone but instead are emailed to the clinician’s NHS email address and saved in a secure cloud.
5 NHS areas using the NCN to support their clinicians
The 5 NHS areas described in this article have one thing in common – they’ve all made it radically quicker and easier for clinicians, paramedics etc. to get specialist advice despite the current pressures.
National Consultant Network Overview
This infographic provides an overview of our National Consultant Network, how it works, clinician feedback and available specialties.
Area Case Study | NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICS
NHS Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes ICS was created in early 2020 when the previous individual CCGs merged into one. Since this development, their project in partnership with Consultant Connect has grown year on year. In this article, we look at the key milestones and usage stats since the project's launch.
Ambulance services using Consultant Connect to improve communication
These four Ambulance services have all embraced the use of Consultant Connect’s communication platform to enhance their services, making things easier for their staff and most importantly, improving the patient’s experience.
Referral Triage shows significant impact in reducing waiting lists
A Trust in the North of England has recently started using Referral Triage to reduce waiting lists in ENT and Urology. The early data shows how much can be achieved in just a couple of weeks - waiting lists are being reduced whilst ensuring patients are seen in the place most suitable for their care...
GP advice to paramedics is reducing ambulance trips
Consultant Connect runs a network of GPs and consultants that are available to take calls from paramedics. Paramedics are put through to GPs in seconds and are able to discuss the best care plan for the patient before deciding if a conveyance to a hospital is necessary.
Avoiding Hospital for the Elderly this Winter
The coronavirus has had a disproportionate impact on older people. In this blog article, we uncover how Consultant Connect’s Enhanced Advice & Guidance is being used across the UK by healthcare professionals – including GPs, Paramedics, Care Homes – to help keep this patient cohort out of hospital, where appropriate.
Switch on/switch off consultant resource
Staffing shortages? Turn on the National Consultant Network - we have hundreds of NHS consultants available.
Doctor robot set to revolutionise NHS efficiency; at patient’s bedside – virtually
NEW cutting-edge technology which enables patients to have a specialist doctor at their bedside in moments, even if they are miles away, has arrived in Leicestershire.
Health trust covering Milton Keynes earns award for improving patient care
Bedford, Luton, and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Systems (ICS), including Milton Keynes University Hospital Trust, and Bedford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been recognised for helping reduce waiting lists and improving patient care.
The role of Advice & Guidance in the community
NHS Coventry & Warwickshire CCG expanded their project to give community teams (including place-based and ACP teams) in South Warwickshire access to Consultant Connect. They have achieved their objective to speed up communications between teams. This supports patient discharge and, where appropriate, keeps patients' care closer to home. We share the project's performance to date.
Hospital trust’s award-winning patient service recognised
South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) has been nationally recognised for its speedy response to those needing specialist guidance.
Experts discussed ‘Putting PIFU into practice’ at a recent webinar
NHS clinical leads who have successfully implemented Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU) services offer practical ideas to help other providers.
Hospital robots will save the lives of hundreds of premature babies
The technology is already enabling consultants to work at multiple sites at once, saving vital time.
Using Consultant Connect to ease A&E pressures
Your NHS area’s strategy to ease A&E pressure this winter will have to be wide-ranging. At the heart of it will be the need to ensure that only those patients who need to be seen face-to-face by a clinician attend their GP practice or hospital...
How to rapidly improve communication about patients in your NHS area
It’s often still very difficult in the NHS to speak directly to the right person when timely advice is really needed – especially if a patient’s needs are complex or urgent. This is why we ...
7 ways we’ll make your hospital hotlines loved
Why does moving local specialty hotlines to Consultant Connect centralise the whole Advice & Guidance process making things much easier for clinicians, consultants, and commissioners?
Area Case Study: Keeping elderly patients out of hospital
South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust’s (SWFT) Frailty Service have been leading an array of activities to aid patient referrals. In this article we uncover the key activities across the trust which ultimately work towards keeping patients out of hospital, especially as we head towards winter.
Consultant Connect – aiming big and improving communication in Mental Health
Ray McGrath reflects on over a year of using Consultant Connect at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM). SLaM is the first UK mental health trust to use a streamlining system to better treat patient’s physical illnesses.
Follow up care – using PIFU to deliver it effectively
Patient follow-up services are proven to reduce unnecessary visits to hospitals and patient waiting times. But you need a system that is easy to use and straightforward to implement.
How to help your Junior Doctors
If the NHS is to attract and maintain the best staff to care for its patients, urgent steps need to be taken to support and motivate the junior doctors who work within it. That’s where professional-to-professional advice systems come in.
Advice from paediatrics consultants one phone call or message away
Read our interview with a Paediatrics Consultant "The Consultant Connect service is a partnership between us in secondary care and primary care where we can provide urgent advice without the child necessarily needing to be seen on the day."
5 minutes with… a GP and Assistant Medical Director
GP experience | Dr Nicky Davies from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board shares her experience of using Consultant Connect…
3 examples of successful accelerator bids
NHS England and NHS Improvement introduced an 'Elective Recovery – Accelerator Systems proposal’ in April 2021. In this article, we share how ‘Accelerator Systems’ are using Consultant Connect to restore activity.
How a nurse-led GP Liaison service has helped to streamline the patient journey
Service Manager & Lead Nurse, Sally Shaw explains how the innovative GP Liaison service in Luton streamlines patient referrals and assessments.
Digital Transformation – Welsh Ambulance Services
By harnessing new technology, the Welsh Ambulance Service has attracted a lot of positive international press coverage. This article explains how this highly regarded organisation is utilising Consultant Connect as part of its wider digital strategy.
Keeping children out of hospital
A&E attendances are running well above seasonal levels in many hospitals and there’s now a real risk of a surge in respiratory viruses in autumn affecting young children. Keeping children out of hospital can start from outside of A&E.
How Scottish Health Boards embrace prof to prof clinical decisions to reduce unnecessary attendances
NHS Tayside, NHS Lanarkshire and the Scottish Ambulance Service share how their use of prof to prof clinical decisions is playing a key part in their response to the national goal of redesigning unscheduled care.
Using Consultant Connect to ease summer A&E pressures
Recently the HSJ reported a significant ‘summer pressure’ in Urgent Care. Firstly, A&E attendances are now running well above seasonal levels. Secondly, attendances are particularly high among children.
Area Case Study | Referral Triage in Northamptonshire
It’s been over two months since Northampton General Hospital started using Consultant Connect’s Referral Triage service. In this blog article Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Carl Holland shares how the project started and is now performing. This article also includes a patient case study example.
Consultant Connect In Mental Health
We provide services in Mental Health, two ways we are doing so is better connecting Mental Health Inpatients with physical care and linking Primary Care clinicians to Mental Health specialists at South London and Maudsley (SLaM). Read more about these services and their current performance in this article.
Urgent care: why joint decision making is so important for paramedics
Guest article by Jonathon Will, Clinical Effectiveness Lead, Specialist Paramedic & Tayside Mountain Rescue Officer, Scottish Ambulance Service.
Using Photo Advice & Guidance for Ophthalmology
We recently caught up with Optometrists Ryan Desai and Dilesh Makwana, who both work in the NHS Coventry and Rugby CCG area to find out how they use Photo Advice & Guidance to manage patient conditions. Dilesh, is a community Optometrist who uses Photo Advice & Guidance via the Consultant Connect App to request advice from Ryan and his colleagues.
5 minutes…. with our Customer Success Lead
Delegates at our COVID Recovery webinar listened to how we are working with 80 areas to help accelerate their COVID-19 recovery. We’ve edited the discussion into a weekly 3 blog article series, this week we are focussing on the use of Advice & Guidance.
UCLPartners Primary Care Innovation Network – Consultant Connect
To help support the adoption and spread of Consultant Connect UCLPartners were keen to present it at their primary care innovation network meeting and show how NHS North Central London CCG are using rapid Telephone Advice & Guidance.
Telephone advice saves lives says remote NHS consultant
As a Consultant Cardiologist who comes into daily contact with primary care clinicians seeking telephone advice and guidance, Dr Patrick Davey knows the impact his advice can have on patient care and long-term GP education.
9 months on: physical health advice for mental health inpatients
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) launched a physical health advice pilot in June 2020, providing physical health advice for inpatient wards. We take a look at the project nine months on.
NHS Area Case Study: Enfield – project update & expansion plans
Nearly 10 months ago, Consultant Connect launched in Enfield, NHS North Central London CCG to support key services during the COVID-19 pandemic. We caught up with Senior Programme Manager, Stephen Wells from Enfield Borough Directorate to discuss how the project has been performing since launch.
Three Consultant Connect projects included in the NHSX Dermatology Digital Playbook
We are delighted that three Consultant Connect projects were mentioned in the NHSX Dermatology Digital Playbook. The PhotoSAF feature within our Consultant Connect App is now used in areas totalling over 20 million patients. Read why in the new NHSX Dermatology Playbook...
How NHS areas can support Mental Health improvements during COVID and winter pressures
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHS Long Term Plan provided hope that improving Mental Health services were a national priority. However, the pandemic has slowed the implementation of the improvements. As we go into winter with the additional pressure of a second wave, our Mental Health Lead discusses how NHS areas can still push Mental Health improvements forward.
Avoiding unnecessary NHS patient conveyances up to 39%
Technology makes the task of frontline ambulance paramedics easier, meaning they don't have to transport so many patients. Take a look at our new data...
Ninewells share COVID Advice Line performance
The COVID Unit Advice Line launched on 13th March 2020 in NHS Tayside and was placed at the top of the list of options on the Consultant Connect service to help highlight the service to clinicians. How is it performing six months on?
Greenwich: A much quicker response to patients’ Mental Health needs
Read this article to find out the impact that our Mental Health Telephone Advice & Guidance project in Greenwich has had nearly two years on.
Winter + COVID: the start of a strategy
Your area’s strategy for COVID will have to be wide ranging. At the heart of it will be the need to ensure that only those patients who need to be seen face-to-face by a clinician attend their GP practice or hospital. A good place to start is communications.
Physical health support for patients in mental health wards
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) is piloting a virtual physical health clinic, providing physical health advice for inpatient wards during the pandemic.
NHS Area Case Study: How we successfully embedded new technology at pace
Last week we caught up with Senior Programme Manager, Stephen Wells from Enfield Borough Directorate, NHS North Central London CCG to find out how the CCG managed to roll out Consultant Connect at pace, achieve highly positive feedback from patients and clinicians, and build resilience.
5 ways COVID affected NHS Advice & Guidance
We wrote recently about the “new normal” in healthcare. In our view, technologies which help patients avoid physical appointments are here to stay. Here’s how Advice and Guidance changed to become a central part of the new landscape…
Team GPvCovid and Consultant Connect
We recently teamed up with Team GP v. Covid to ask GPs to answer A&G calls from 999 ambulance crews and Clinical Support Desk staff.
COVID-19 Recovery: Ophthalmology
The knock-on from the pandemic will be felt particularly in specialities that saw an on-going rise in demand last year. This article looks at how NHS areas can help optometrists deliver more care in the community and reduce unnecessary strain on hospital eye services.
Coventry & Rugby embrace Innovative Ophthalmology tech
Telephone and Photo Advice & Guidance has had a positive impact for clinicians and patients in Warwickshire, Coventry and Rugby during COVID-19.
Project continues to reduce demand for 2WW dermatology referrals – now by 33%
The PhotoSAF feature (within the Consultant Connect App) met Leeds’ requirements – particularly around information governance, compliance and ensuring the new process worked for both primary care and secondary care
4 Things We’ve Learned In 4 Years
This year we celebrated our fourth birthday. But it feels like we’re a lot older. Why? A lot has happened in those four years.
Who pays for Advice & Guidance?
Just over 2 years ago we published an article titled "Who Pays for Advice & Guidance". It ended up being our most-read article of 2017 and in our top 5 articles of 2018. Why was it so ...
Experts discussed ‘Outpatients: The Future’ at a recent RCP webinar
During the RCP webinar on Monday 3 June 2019, experts discussed outpatient transformation and offered practical ideas and examples about where to start.
Nursing team win at healthcare awards
Matthew Winn, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust, said: “I am incredibly proud of the Luton GP Liaison Service, which has been rightly recognised for its great work. The nurse-led team deserves full recognition for this ground breaking service and should be really proud of all they have achieved.”
Experts answer your FAQs on Advice & Guidance
Not only does your Advice & Guidance service have to work, it has to work well. Well enough for GPs to use it in the sort of volumes that will deliver up to 100,000 avoided referrals in an average area. To help with this, experts from NHS England, CCGs using e-RS and Consultant Connect answer Advice & Guidance FAQs.
How to make sure your Advice & Guidance delivers the Long Term Plan
The NHS Long Term Plan aims to avoid up to a third of outpatient appointments. That means that some 30 million hospital appointments will need to be avoided or replaced somehow. Advice & Guidance could be a plank in delivering the LTP target and has potential to contribute significantly.
Mental Health Integration – what does it take to make it work?
Mental Health Integration: what does it take to make it work? For a number of years, the NHS has been grappling with the issue of how best to deliver care to a growing and ageing population ...
8 NHS areas where communication is improving patient care
The 8 NHS areas described below have one thing in common - they've all made it radically quicker for clinicians, paramedics etc. to communicate about patients using telephone and photo Advice ...
The easiest bit of the NHS long term plan
As a vision, the NHS long term plan is undoubtedly positive and ambitious - giving the public access to their GP via "digital consultations" understandably got a lot of coverage, but the plan's authors might have been right to feel miffed that a lot of other good ideas didn't attract much comment at all.
Experts discussed ‘How to improve CAMHS’ our recent webinar
In our webinar on Monday 29 October 2018, experts shared their ideas about how to improve CAMHS. Speakers included:Dr Duncan Law, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the Anna Freud National ...
New project will help GPs in Milton Keynes treat adults with mental health problems
The first person someone with a mental health problem is likely to turn to for professional help is their GP, who is expected to deal with them in an appropriate manner and within the 10-minute consultation window.
Experts discussed ‘Rise of the Superimprovers’ in our latest webinar
In this week’s webinar “Rise of the Superimprovers”, experts shared their ideas about how resilient healthcare providers keep improving despite year-round winter pressures. Speakers ...
Superimprovers continue to make progress despite pressure
We are always interested in reading articles about the challenges facing our healthcare system. However, we find that many seem to focus on ongoing winter pressures and associated number ...
About our webinar: How to improve the CAMHS crisis
Child Mental Health crisis has been at the top of the news headlines in recent years – we’ve all seen it. There have been a number of reports, surveys and articles on the topic of CAMHS, to ...
Greenwich is tackling Mental Health using Consultant Connect
Adults and older adults with mental health issues in Greenwich, London could see significant improvements to their diagnosis, treatment and care experience when they go to see their GP from this ...
Consultant Connect wins the Barclays Award for Innovation 2018
Consultant Connect wins the Barclays Award for Innovation at The Oxford Trust Enterprise Awards 2018. The Barclays Award for Innovation, is part of the Oxford Trust Enterprise Awards. It is ...
Experts discussed “Easing ‘year-round’ winter pressure” in our webinar
In our webinar last month, experts including the President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and commissioning experts from the number 1 A&E Luton & Dunstable University ...
Consultant Connect featured on BBC Look North
Our PhotoSAF project in Leeds is attracting a lot of positive attention in the local press - you can read two of the articles reprinted in full below. In addition, take a look at the BBC Look ...
In the Press
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