New single phone number to connect Buckinghamshire doctors faster than ever and end unnecessary hospital trips
Consultant Connect’s technology is being used in Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust (BHT) to give GPs and paramedics a single phone number to contact senior clinicians for quick referral advice. Having one number to call will end the need for doctors and healthcare professionals to navigate difficult hospital switchboards and will ensure patients receive the correct care quickly while avoiding hospital where possible.
This partnership comes at a crucial moment, as experts warn the NHS is underprepared for winter pressures with the waiting list currently standing at 7.5 million, and 96% of adult general and acute hospital beds occupied last week.
To combat this, the NHS has mandated that every Trust must have a “Single Point of Access” (SPoA) by March 2025, enabling clinicians to call one number and be transferred to either a specialist consultant or senior clinical decision maker in a matter of seconds for onward referral advice.
The Trust rolled out the SPoA phone line, supported by Consultant Connect in July 2024. This line allows users to contact the Buckinghamshire Single Point of Access Team to discuss patients needing same-day urgent care or who may have existing health conditions.
The line was implemented following the success of its Frailty Line and the Same Day Emergency Care Line, which is also supported by Consultant Connect. This centralised phone line connects GPs, Healthcare Professionals and paramedics with the BHT geriatric team in seconds, leading to patients avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions 38% of the time.
Since the launch of the SPoA at BHT, over 1,000 calls have been received, on average 50% of these calls have avoided unnecessary trips to A&E and enabled frailty patients to receive the right treatment first time.
This project exemplifies how Trusts across the UK can harness technology to transform healthcare and alleviate pressures. Seeking guidance from the right specialists can prevent unnecessary ambulance trips and A&E visits creating a more efficient care system for everyone. It also ensures patients with complex conditions avoid hospital, which is often a distressing and avoidable experience.
The use of this technology is another example of the Trust’s commitment to embrace digitisation as it has just received approval on funding from NHS England for £71.2 million investment in digital infrastructure over the next 10 years.
Jonathan Patrick, CEO of Consultant Connect, said:
‘Our collaboration with hospitals in Buckinghamshire exemplifies how technology can transform patient care and relieve pressure on critical healthcare services. By providing clinicians with a seamless, data-driven platform, we’ve been able to streamline communication, improve patient outcomes, and support the NHS in managing growing demands. We’re thrilled to continue this journey with the expansion of the Frailty Line and the implementation of the Single Point of Access, and we look forward to continuing to innovate in ways that truly make a difference to patient care and the NHS.’
Caroline Capell, Programme Director for Urgent and Emergency Care (Buckinghamshire) from BOB ICB, said:
‘Helping our services to access specialist advice and guidance to ensure our patients receive the right care first time is something all our providers across Buckinghamshire have embraced. The use of simple and effective pathways through Consultant Connect helps us to improve those links and provide integrated solutions for our patients.’
For more information:
If you’d like to find out more about how our services could help your NHS area, email info@consultantconnect.org.uk or call the team on 01865 261 467.
Related materials & published articles:
- Bucks Free Press: A new single phone number launched to connect Buckinghamshire doctors, GPs, and paramedics
- The Bucks Herald: New single phone number connects Buckinghamshire GPs to senior clinicians faster than ever
- Health Matters: New single phone number helps Buckinghamshire GPs seek referral advice quicker than ever
- In the press
- Consultant Connect Impact Report
- Supporting NHS areas this winter and beyond
