‘Utilising e-RS Connect is a real time saver because the images are viewable without downloading, and I can see the clinical history and attachments all in one place. We’ve reduced the time taken to complete A&G by approximately 25%, because the data is so easily accessible.’
Specialty teams at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) have been utilising e-RS Connect for Advice & Guidance (A&G) worklists since November 2024, improving efficiency and reducing pressures. e-RS Connect links the NHS’s referral backbone with Consultant Connect’s A&G platform to enhance e-RS’s capabilities. This enables specialists to review and return referrals with advice, convert A&G requests into referrals, or ask for additional information—all through a user-friendly interface that integrates with existing workflows.
To find out how this impacts clinical teams, we spoke with Dr Elizabeth Roberts, Consultant Dermatologist at UHL, who has been using e-RS Connect in her day-to-day role.
UHL Dermatology e-RS Connect stats*:
More than 1,700 A&G cases responded to | 96% of cases were returned to the referrer with advice | 2% of cases were converted to a referral | 2% of cases required further information
Why did you start using e-RS Connect, and what are the most significant benefits?
‘Traditionally, we’ve used the e-RS platform, but the clunky nature of the system slows down the process. All attachments are uploaded as a PDF, Word Document, or JPEG, requiring us to download each item individually. This takes a few seconds and sometimes longer. That’s not a problem if you’ve got one or two attachments, but our A&G requests often contain three or four clinical history uploads, followed by six or seven images, so it can take several minutes just to download the information. We can receive up to 60 new A&G cases daily, so it is critical to streamline the process of completing these cases.
‘Utilising e-RS Connect is a real time saver because the images are viewable without downloading, and I can see the clinical history and attachments all in one place. The system is very quick to load and easy to use, and we’ve reduced the time taken to complete A&G by approximately 25%, because the data is so easily accessible.’
How easily has e-RS Connect integrated into your working day?
‘It has slotted in seamlessly, allowing me to complete my on-call A&G from home. That’s a real bonus because it can be difficult to work uninterrupted on site, so it’s much easier and very straightforward to log onto my work computer remotely to respond to A&G.’
How have you found using filters for reporting purposes?
‘It’s incredibly helpful because, as a team, we’ve each agreed to complete 30 A&G cases daily, so I can use the filtering tools to check how many we’ve completed. It’s so easy to do, and is also beneficial for screening for urgent queries. Also, if the referring clinician responds to your questions with further clarification, the A&G cases are linked as conversation threads.
‘However, within e-RS, I would’ve been guessing how many cases I’d already responded to because it’s so complicated to use. Using e-RS also makes it challenging to tell which cases are related. So, if the referring clinician alluded to a previous A&G query, we would’ve had to ask them to re-upload a copy of that A&G conversation as an attachment, which is very time-consuming.
‘Using e-RS Connect is very intuitive. I recommend that all specialty teams try using it. Compared to the standard e-RS platform, e-RS Connect reduces time spent responding to A&G by 25% because it’s so much easier to use.’
* Correct as of August 2025.
You can download a PDF of the case study, or if you have any questions about this service, please get in touch on 01865 261467 or at hello@consultantconnect.org.uk.
