Ashley Backhouse
Account Manager at Consultant Connect
Supporting ICS’, CCGs, Primary Care and Secondary Care across the NHS
Why did you start working at Consultant Connect? Was it purely by chance or by design?
I had spent 12 years working in publishing, so I was looking for a new challenge. Consultant Connect and healthcare excited me – I love mission-based companies. Getting the opportunity to support the NHS and patients was a real draw. It was really good to be part of the covid effort – at the height of the pandemic, we saw the uptake of our services increase by over 380%.
What appeals to you in working in healthcare?
At Consultant Connect, we facilitate services that stop unnecessary trips into hospital – I find that rewarding and motivating. Also, I’m a real people person. I love speaking to various people across different levels and different backgrounds in healthcare – it’s fascinating.
What’s been the highlight of your Consultant Connect career so far?
Project managing the onboarding of a complex Integrated Care System (ICS). My knowledge of local patient pathways and the relationships I built in the area allowed me to implement Consultant Connect’s services that benefited all parties. A particular success was teledermatology, where clinicians have now used this service over 4,000 times with a 76% hospital avoidance rate.
One of the things I like most about working at Consultant Connect is that we’re reactive and tailor our services across the projects and teams. Every healthcare area is different, so if they need something slightly different, we can often provide that for them. I feel that our customer service is excellent and a key differentiator.
What are the biggest challenges in your job?
I would say ensuring clinicians are aware and engaged in our services. For example, one of our older accounts was considering leaving Consultant Connect. We worked closely with key stakeholders to refine the service offering and ensure we had good call connection rates so GPs would use the service. We also used our National Consultant Network to offer additional specialty advice lines that the local Trust couldn’t provide. These were Advice & Guidance lines that local GPs told us they really needed to have. The more tailored offering retained the account, and we have seen usage increase steadily since.
What have you learnt in the process of dealing with the challenges?
You need to quickly get to the root of any problems and look for quick wins and then long-term gains. It’s about listening to all the stakeholders and setting realistic expectations.
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