Across the NHS, elective care recovery and growing demand continue to put pressure on specialist capacity. For ICBs and Trusts seeking flexible, clinically-led solutions, the National Consultant Network (NCN) offers immediate, scalable support.
Comprising hundreds of NHS consultants across all main elective specialties, the NCN is already working alongside more than 50 Trusts nationwide. Whether supplementing local Advice & Guidance (A&G) services or clinically triaging referral backlogs, the NCN is helping NHS systems improve patient flow, reduce unnecessary hospital activity, and make better use of scarce specialist time.
Providing A&G
A&G plays a vital role in reducing avoidable referrals and supporting primary care decision-making. However, local specialist teams are not always able to respond within required timeframes, and some specialties may not be available at all.
The NCN provides both pre- and post-referral A&G support, backing up existing services or delivering input in locally unavailable specialties. Consultants can provide advice by telephone, secure messaging, or a combination of both, operating Monday – Friday (9am – 8pm) and weekends (9am – 5pm), with some specialties offering extended hours.
The impact is measurable: clinical cases reviewed by NCN consultants increased 24% year on year in 2025, and 70% of calls made via Consultant Connect resulted in patients avoiding unnecessary hospital visits.
‘I very frequently use Cardiology ECG/Echo via Consultant Connect. I receive prompt feedback and advice, which is very useful for contemporaneous patient management. Really, really pleased with the service.’
– Clinician in Stoke on Trent.
‘I have had good experiences in using the Cardiology ECG advice service. Dr Cookson is especially prompt and gives sound advice whilst explaining the reasoning behind the advice to aid my learning.’
– GP in Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.
NCN consultants often resolve cases quickly that would otherwise progress to outpatient referrals:
‘We regularly interpret blood and imaging abnormalities, but also discuss patients with functional symptoms, who are often not responding to treatment, and patients with long-term conditions. These queries are often relatively straightforward for us to resolve, and, after a short conversation, have a large impact in improving the patient’s care.’
– Dr Rex J Polson, NHS Consultant Gastroenterologist on the NCN.
North Central London ICB has relied on the NCN for over six years. Keith Spratt, Head of Operational Contract Management, comments:
‘Whenever local resources cannot answer queries, we can rely on the NCN as a back-up.’
Clinically validating and reducing referral backlogs
Beyond A&G, the NCN can operate as a ‘virtual locum’ workforce to clinically validate and triage both new and backlog referrals.
Consultants review cases and, where clinically appropriate, provide virtual management plans as post-referral A&G. This approach ensures patients are directed to the right setting the first time – whether that is secondary care, community services, or supported primary care management.
The results are significant:
- 38% average reduction in waiting list size, with notable impact within
- ENT: 48% average reduction
- Neurology: 43% average reduction
- Cardiology: 41% average reduction
- Dermatology: 34% average reduction
- Gynaecology: 31% average reduction
Projects can be mobilised rapidly, with the capacity to review more than 1,000 cases per specialty per month. This allows systems to address clinical risk in long waits while simultaneously redesigning pathways.
Louise Tuckett, Director of Strategy, Planning & Performance at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, notes:
‘Our work with Consultant Connect has been incredibly effective in driving more efficient patient pathways and ensuring the most effective use of our clinical resources. The clinicians provided excellent input, in some cases going above and beyond the ask and offering suggestions as to how we could improve our patient pathways to reduce the time to diagnosis and treatment.’
Additionally, Referral Triage generates actionable service insight:
‘The Trusts actually get two services in one: they receive the clinical triage of referrals and a lot of additional detail about their specialty service. We can quickly see which patients would do better in the community and how much secondary care capacity would be freed up as a result.’
– Dr Sonna Ifeacho, NHS ENT Consultant on the NCN.
For NHS areas balancing elective recovery, workforce constraints and financial pressure, the NCN offers a flexible model grounded in NHS clinical expertise.
For more information on how the NCN can support you, please contact us on hello@consultantconnect.org.uk or call 01865 951207.
Related materials:
- The cost of a referral
- Impact of neurology triage: divert 43% of referrals
- Referral Triage and Validation: reducing the ever-increasing elective care waiting list
