Helpline numbers for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and epilepsy in Bedfordshire and Luton have been available for some years. However, the Neurology Team at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust could see that the process of accessing medical advice was often protracted, impacting patient confidence and well-being. The process was that a secretary answered calls if a nurse was not available. The secretary then recorded the message, passed the message onto the nurse, and eventually called the patient back, meaning patients often didn’t get an immediate response.
To improve the process, the Neurology Team introduced Consultant Connect’s Patient Initiated Follow-Up (PIFU) service. The instant reliability of this service has led to patients feeling more confident that they will reach the right person the first time. The system also means the helplines now meet the NICE guidelines for patients to have a single point of contact who knows about their condition.
Improving patient care
Reliability for patients is achieved via Consultant Connect using a ‘hunt group’ function backed up by a rota of available specialist nurses to answer the calls. If the first nurse on the rota is unable to answer, the call moves on to the next nurse on the rota until it is answered. On average, patient calls are answered in 30 seconds. Calls are placed directly to the mobile numbers of nurses, but these numbers are not disclosed to the patient at any time.
‘I can change the rota; I can add people into it and I can change the telephone numbers. The amazing thing about it is you can divert the calls to anybody, anywhere in the world, it doesn’t matter, as all the patients know is that single number. Personal mobile numbers are never disclosed.’
– Hüseyin Hüseyin, Neurology Operational Lead at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
All calls are recorded for medico-legal purposes and are fully auditable, ensuring the Neurology Team can view data reports to track outcomes achieved and service usage.
‘As an operational lead, I am able to identify the number of calls coming in and the outcomes that are left, which is excellent in terms of auditing the results of those calls, and I think I couldn’t get anything better.’
– Hüseyin Hüseyin.
Hear Hüseyin Hüseyin talk about the benefits to patients of the PIFU service:
Extending the service to primary and secondary care colleagues
The success of the PIFU lines has led to the Neurology Team extending their Advice & Guidance telephone services out to primary care.
‘When primary care calls us using Consultant Connect, we can pre-empt any test requirements, for example, a recommendation for MRI, whereby the time patients come in to see us, we can have the MRI in our hand, and the diagnosis can be made at one stop rather than the patient having to come back. So, it speeds up the patient’s diagnostic phase and stops patients from unnecessarily coming into hospital. I also believe that primary care are becoming more educated about neurology patients when they use the service.’
– Hüseyin Hüseyin, Neurology Operational Lead
The service is also available for other specialty colleagues to use. Listen to Hüseyin Hüseyin talk about primary and secondary care using the service in the short video below:
Using the app as a phone directory to save time
‘There is also the directory within the Consultant Connect App so I can directly call the GP surgeries if I want to. The calls go directly to the practice staff rather than waiting in a switchboard queue, which saves me valuable time.’
– Hüseyin Hüseyin.
Interestingly, Consultant Connect is not a new concept for Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It was first introduced in Luton in 2016 to enable primary care to obtain rapid Telephone Advice & Guidance. This service now covers more than 14 specialties, including Neurology.
PIFU service performance to date*
‘The team at Consultant Connect has always been efficient and effective in a timely manner, and I would like to thank you for helping me to introduce this system to my team.’
– Hüseyin Hüseyin.
To date, the MS PIFU has had more than 1,500 calls answered within an average of 25 seconds.
Where outcomes were reported:
- 26% of calls resulted in an appropriate admission/appointment
- 16% of calls related to medication management
- 16% of calls resulted in no further action needed
- 6% of calls resulted in the patient being signposted (e.g., GP)
- 2% of calls resulted in an admission being avoided
- 3% of calls were COVID-19 related
- 10% of calls were regarding the discussion of patient test results
- 12% of calls were related to the patient’s MS symptoms worsening
Rheumatology nurse-led line:
In October 2021, a new Rheumatology nurse-led line was launched. Patients can use this line to call the Rheumatology Team directly for medication and clinical queries. Calls are answered by administrative assistants from Monday – Friday, between 9am – 12pm. This is not an emergency service and is for advice only.
Key statistics since launch:
- Over 27,000 calls placed
- 25 seconds average connection time
To allow for clear tracking of patient symptoms and for the most appropriate care plan to be put into place in a timely manner, outcomes of these calls are recorded:
*Data correct as of July 2023.
Setting up PIFU in your Trust/Area
PIFU is as straightforward as you would expect from Consultant Connect with two pathway options – see diagram below, or click here to download the PDF:
