Immediate Telephone Advice & Guidance 

When Consultant Connect first started providing rapid Telephone Advice & Guidance (A&G) to the NHS it was just GPs that used the service to speak to specialists. We are now providing access to a wider range of medics and community healthcare providers such as; Paramedics, Nurses, Pharmacists, Nurse Prescribers, Mental Health Clinicians, and Social Workers. Why? Telephone Advice & Guidance from Consultant Connect solves the difficulty of speaking to the right person when timely advice is really needed – especially if a patient’s needs are complex.

Clinicians use the Consultant Connect App or a unique Dial-in Number to speak to specialist clinicians for pre-referral advice and guidance over the telephone. Calls are answered by a rota of specialists in under 30 seconds (UK average).

 

  • Used in 42 ICB/ HB areas covering over 40 million patients.
  • 68% of calls avoid hospital visits in elective care, and 52% of calls avoid hospital visits in urgent care.
  • Easy to set-up and use with benefits from day one – no hardware or training required. 
  • Reduces referrals and admissions for whole-system efficiencies – patients receive the right care, first time. 
  • Enjoy world-class support – our team handles set-up, communication and on-going engagement with clinicians, specialists and other stakeholders. 

Why do clinicians and patients like it?

Why do commissioners like it? 

Find out how our Mental Health Phone Advice & Guidance service can help support the right mental health referrals at the right time.

How it works

Telephone Advice & Guidance - Consultant Connect

Primary care clinicians can also earn CPD credits when they use the Consultant Connect App for Advice & Guidance. Click to find out more.

Everything you need to know – in a few minutes…

Clinicians explain why immediate phone advice works for them
Phone A&G in action – Urgent Care

Consultant Connect in NHSE handbooks

Did you know Consultant Connect has been included in the NHS England’s Elective Care Transformation Team handbooks for gastro, dermatology and diabetes handbooks? Proof that Advice & Guidance works!

Phone Advice & Guidance Case Studies

How the Infectious Diseases Advice line in Greater Glasgow and Clyde is speeding up clinical communication

How the Infectious Diseases Advice line in Greater Glasgow and Clyde is speeding up clinical communication

Following the launch of the Infectious Diseases Professional-to-Professional Advice line via Consultant Connect, we spoke with clinicians to discuss its benefits.

The Consultant Connect service that is engendering better and quicker communication between Public Health Wales and Primary Care

The Consultant Connect service that is engendering better and quicker communication between Public Health Wales and Primary Care

In October 2023, the first pan-Wales Telephone Advice & Guidance line provided by Public Health Wales via Consultant Connect was launched, providing access to all NHS clinicians in Wales.

How accessing Consultant Connect from a computer is supporting clinicians in Powys Teaching Health Board

How accessing Consultant Connect from a computer is supporting clinicians in Powys Teaching Health Board

We spoke with Hannah Meredith to discuss how the Desktop Calling feature allows her to access timely advice in an area with poor mobile signal.

Medical SDEC advice line expedites patient’s diagnosis for rare disorder in Cardiff and Vale

Medical SDEC advice line expedites patient’s diagnosis for rare disorder in Cardiff and Vale

Following the launch of the transformative SDEC provision at the University Hospital of Wales, we spoke with Dr Jonathon Campbell, GP Partner at North Cardiff Medical Centre.

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Contact us

For more information about how we work with commissioners, hospitals and mental health trusts to improve patient care, please get in touch.

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