How nurses utilise Consultant Connect services across the UK

Launched in May 2025, the Epilepsy Patient Follow-Up Line allows patients to phone in to the service in the same way, but the coordinator loads the details of each voicemail onto Consultant Connect and assigns a nurse to follow up. The nurse then securely contacts the patient via Consultant Connect, and once the conversation concludes, they can record an outcome. 

This has enabled the team to capture data to quantify call volumes, which is something they’ve not been able to do before. The data has shown that the nurses spend approximately two hours per day contacting patients. This means that jobs can be planned around those calls, ensuring no one is overloaded. The team has been able to increase clinic capacity, plan their demand, and utilise the nurses’ expertise to the best of their ability.

‘It was a no-brainer to use Consultant Connect for Follow-Up calls. The success of the Epilepsy Patient Follow-Up Line has become a blueprint for rolling out to two other nursing teams: the Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) and the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) team. We hope that expanding the service across these teams will provide more structure for the clinicians, a useful tool for evidencing workload and job planning, and reassurance that patient queries are handled quickly and efficiently.’

– Deb Collier, Assistant Directorate Manager of Neurology in Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.

The Diabetes Messaging Advice & Guidance line provided by Diabetes Nurse Specialists at Glan Clwyd Hospital has been delivering rapid advice to Primary Care clinicians in Central Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board since 2022. The service enables healthcare professionals to securely send messages at any time and attach any relevant patient files for context. Inclusion criteria, set out by the Diabetes Nurse Specialists, indicate that use of the line is suitable for advice regarding escalating oral therapies in type 2 diabetes, injectable (GLP-1) therapies, insulin initiation and/or dose adjustment, and de-escalating diabetes therapies (due to improvements in diet and lifestyle), when clinicians are not sure on the next steps.

‘Seeking advice from the Diabetes Specialist Nursing Team will often reduce the need to refer, help to provide more timely individualised treatment options, and support up-to-date evidence-based practice for people living with diabetes.’

– Julie Lewis, Nurse Consultant.

Managed by a Lead Head & Neck and Thyroid Clinical Nurse Specialist at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the Suspected Head & Neck Cancer Messaging service launched in May 2023. A unique specialty, Head & Neck Oncology has a low conversion rate to cancer. Part of the reason is that head and neck cancer symptoms are vague and can often indicate less sinister diagnoses. The service allows Primary Care clinicians to send messages to a team of nurse specialists, with patient imaging or photos attached, which can be reviewed, and advice can be given as to whether a referral is needed, and, if so, what type.

‘Before the implementation of this line, we didn’t receive many queries for advice. There was no way to discuss or flag patients with suspected cancer and no way of accessing next-day/week appointments for patients who needed them. Regardless of their urgency, all referrals went into the same system, and only 1 in 10 patients required specialist attention. Providing the messaging service is not arduous or demanding. This is a same-day messaging service with a rota covered by the CNS Team as the first point of contact.’

– Denise Flynn, Lead Head & Neck and Thyroid Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Within the Minor Injuries Unit at Blairgowrie Community Hospital, nurse Kirsty Wilkinson uses the IG-secure clinical photography feature, PhotoSAF, within the Consultant Connect App to take images of patients’ dermatological issues. The service is safe, secure, and GDPR-compliant and healthcare professionals can use it to help them make referral decisions. At the Minor Injuries Unit, PhotoSAF is also used for staff training as it was recognised that a staff member’s Steri-Strip technique could be improved after discussing a patient’s photo.

‘A patient under my care was suffering from a leg ulcer which was taking a long time to heal. The patient had become low in mood as they felt the wound was not healing and had become malodorous. I could track the patient’s progress by using PhotoSAF to take photos of their condition. After some time, I could explain the healing process to the patient. The photo progression allowed me to show the approach to the patient, even if it was slow. This really benefitted them as it improved their mental health. It also allowed a detailed handover to a colleague for holiday cover.’

– Kirsty Wilkinson, Nurse.