5 minutes with a GP in Wales
Dr Jonathan Griffin has been a GP for 18 years, he is currently working as a partner in the Penarth Healthcare Partnership in the Vale of Glamorgan, Cardiff.
Eight months after Consultant Connect Telephone Advice & Guidance was made available to his practice, Dr Griffin talks to us about what he thinks of the service and how using Consultant Connect has improved patient care.
1. How did you get specialist advice, before using the Consultant Connect Telephone A&G service?
- “In the past I would have gone through hospital switchboard and requested they bleep the speciality registrar.”
2. Why is Telephone A&G a better tool?
- “You get consultant advice within minutes, with the patient sitting in front of you, without having to negotiate busy hospital switchboards.”
3. What advice would you give to GPs, thinking of using the service, but unsure?
- “It is extremely easy to use, it took no time to set up the free Consultant Connect App on my phone. It’s quick, easy and convenient.”
4. Can you share a recent example of how the service helped you and a patient?
- “A patient presented with severe symptoms of back pain, knee pain with effusion, ankle pain and clear evidence of synovitis. The presentation was of an acute flare up of probable seronegative arthritis.
- The patient had already been referred to Rheumatology and was awaiting an outpatient appointment.
- The condition had clearly deteriorated significantly and rapidly, the patient was in a lot of pain could barely mobilise and was in significant distress.”
5. How did Telephone Advice & Guidance help?
- “I spoke to an out-of-area consultant Rheumatologist via Consultant Connect for advice.
- With the current COVID-19 climate, I wanted to avoid admission at all costs, so it was helpful to be able to discuss my plan to treat the patient’s condition with a consultant and their reassurance meant a hospital admission was avoided.
- Using Telephone Advice & Guidance was reassuring for me and gave me confidence that I was making the best decision and the patient was relieved that they didn’t need to be admitted to hospital.”
