Consultant case study: Referral Triage

Dr Patrick Davey shares his experience of the Referral Triage service along with a recent patient case study example.
Home - Consultant Connect

‘In this situation, the GP referral was certainly lifesaving.’

Consultant case study: Referral Triage

Dr Patrick Davey is an NHS consultant from Consultant Connect’s National Consultant Network, working remotely in the local team conducting referral triage. He shares his experience of the service along with a recent patient case study example:

‘I look at all the referrals to cardiology, grade and deal with them. It is a helpful system as it means virtually all the referrals go through one person, so there’s consistency and the opportunity to build relationships with GPs.

 

I recently came across a patient who had been seen for a minor procedure in a nearby hospital. The patient was just about to have the procedure when the stand-by anaesthetist said, “let’s stop the operation, the heart’s going far too slow, it’s going 33, 34 beats per minute” So, they stopped the operation, did an ECG and sent the patient home. The ECG was then given to the GP, and this was added to the referral to cardiology which I reviewed. I immediately recognised this dangerous slow heart rhythm, so we got the patient into hospital and put a pacemaker in. In this situation, the GP referral was certainly lifesaving.

 

It’s highly likely that the referral through a more standard route would have had the same outcome, the difference, however, is that the electronic nature of the referrals has short-circuited the referral process. So, one might say that this patient had a pacemaker a week or more early, and that week could easily have been the week in which their heart stopped.’

Watch a clip of Dr Davey talking about the patient case study:

 

Related case studies

Messaging advice provided by NHS consultant avoids unnecessary hospital visit for patient with secondary cancer

Messaging advice provided by NHS consultant avoids unnecessary hospital visit for patient with secondary cancer

Healthcare professionals in NCL ICB have access to a range of elective care specialties for Enhanced Advice & Guidance (A&G) provided by out-of-area NHS consultants on the National Consultant Network (NCN), including messaging services for dermatology lesions and dermatology advice.

GP case study: Haematology Advice & Guidance across the NHS

GP case study: Haematology Advice & Guidance across the NHS

Two GPs used Telephone Advice & Guidance to get specialist input from the Haematology Teams at their local trusts, resulting in faster patient care.

Area Case Study: Keeping elderly patients out of hospital

Area Case Study: Keeping elderly patients out of hospital

South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust’s (SWFT) Frailty Service have been leading an array of activities to aid patient referrals. In this article we uncover the key activities across the trust which ultimately work towards keeping patients out of hospital, especially as we head towards winter.

NHS Area Case Study: A teledermatology pilot to improve cancer care in Leeds

NHS Area Case Study: A teledermatology pilot to improve cancer care in Leeds

We are delighted that our Consultant Connect project in Leeds was mentioned in the NHSX Dermatology Digital playbook.

- Consultant Connect

Contact us

For more information about how we work with commissioners, hospitals and mental health trusts to improve patient care, please get in touch.

- Consultant Connect

Join a webinar

Listen to health experts from the comfort of your desk as we bring the experts to you in our series of online webinars.

- Consultant Connect

Join our mailing list

Join our mailing list and we'll keep you informed of our latest blogs, project news, and upcoming webinar dates and topics.

Contact us

Permissions

You can view our Terms & Conditions here.

Most Read Articles

Guest blog | Enhancing Holistic Care: How Consultant Connect Supports the NHS in Treating Mind and Body

Addressing both mental and physical health is crucial for providing comprehensive care in today’s healthcare landscape. Jill Lockett, managing partner at SHINE Executive Coaching & Consultancy and former managing director at King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre shares insights gleaned from Consultant Connect’s recent panel discussion she chaired on integrating physical and mental health care:

read more
Suspected Head & Neck Cancer Messaging service

The Suspected Head & Neck Cancer messaging service was launched in May 2023 to all clinicians in North Central London ICB. We caught up with the Lead Head & Neck and Thyroid Clinical Nurse Specialist who manages the line, and a GP who used the line to find out more.

read more
Consultant Connect
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.