Increasing operational resilience across the NHS
53% of calls from ambulance staff avoid unnecessary patient conveyances.
53% of calls to Same Day Emergency Care lines result in patients avoiding A&E and being directed to the right place first time.
54% of calls to Urgent Care specialties avoid an admission
How it works
Consultant Connect is the UK’s most widely used Enhanced Advice & Guidance system, supporting NHS areas to reduce pressures and improve patient care.
The service enables clinicians to use a unique Dial-In Number or the secure Consultant Connect App to call NHS specialists for pre-referral advice and guidance. Clinicians can also use Consultant Connect via the app or in their browser to take and/or upload photos and files and share these directly with specialist NHS clinicians for pre-referral advice and guidance.
Rapid Advice & Guidance reduces unnecessary patient conveyances and admissions and ensures patients are directed to the most appropriate place first time.
For areas with staffing challenges, the National Consultant Network (NCN) of out-of-area NHS consultants can be switched on to support your local teams by answering pre-referral advice and guidance calls and/or review photo and message requests. The NCN can be switched on in just 24-48 hours meaning the impact is immediate. It can also be switched off that quickly when it’s no longer needed.
What are the benefits of using Consultant Connect?
1. Minimise the risk of missed calls:
Our service is designed to fit in with specialists’ existing schedules, so queries go through a rota. This means specialists can answer calls when available, and clinicians can ring, safe in the knowledge that their inquiry will be answered quickly.
2. Centralise the rapid advice process:
Phone numbers are pre-programmed and can be accessed via the Consultant Connect App, a Dial-In Number or on the user’s desktop, ensuring a standardised and easy single point of access for all NHS staff.
3. Easily-accessible call recordings:
All calls are recorded for medico-legal purposes and can be listened to and downloaded by ICBs and Trusts/hospitals, as well as the specialist(s) and clinician(s) involved.
4. Regular data-rich reports:
Each project has a dedicated Account Manager who can deliver bespoke user demonstrations and Q&A sessions. We also provide tailored reports, giving insight into the number of queries received and how the patient’s journey has proceeded, reviewing and refining the project strategy.
Latest news
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The successful UEC pathways that are transforming the NHS through winter and beyond
Transforming the care of older people
How Consultant Connect can help implement the SAMEDAY strategy to support your SDEC pathway
Thousands of elderly patients avoid unnecessary hospital queues thanks to health tech
Using Consultant Connect for Frailty pathways
Milton Keynes Hospital celebrates first birthday of its medical centre which has treated over 20,000 patients
Contact Us
Winter Resilience
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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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