Elderly Care A&G across the NHS

Drs Triggs and Barnes, a GP in Cardiff and Consultant Geriatrician in Sunderland, respectively, discuss why Enhanced Advice & Guidance is invaluable to patients.
Consultant case study: Elderly Care - Consultant Connect

‘I think the service is a really good idea. Having a detailed conversation often allows us to divert an elderly patient away from an acute admission to a more appropriate setting for them, for example, a home visit or an outpatient appointment.’ – Dr Barnes.

Elderly Care A&G across the NHS

We spoke with Dr Angharad Triggs, a GP in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, where clinicians have had access to Telephone Advice & Guidance via Consultant Connect since June 2020.

We also talked to Dr Catherine Barnes, a Consultant Geriatrician at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, who has been answering local clinicians’ Telephone Advice & Guidance queries since October 2016.

The clinicians described how the Consultant Connect service benefits themselves, their colleagues and their patients.

 

‘I think the service is an excellent idea. Having a detailed conversation often allows us to divert an elderly patient away from an acute admission to a more appropriate setting, for example, a home visit or an outpatient appointment.’

– Dr Barnes.

 

‘It’s worth the five minutes it takes to set up this app to get good timely advice from a specialist. It has saved me time, several admissions, and the patient receives the appropriate care.’

– Dr Triggs.

 

Patient Examples

 

Dr Triggs

‘An elderly patient had become anaemic but was not symptomatic enough to merit an acute admission to hospital. The patient did not tolerate oral iron supplementation. I quickly discussed the symptoms with a consultant via Consultant Connect, and we agreed that reviewing the patient as a non-emergency was the most appropriate option to help the patient and that an IV iron infusion was needed.

The consultant advised that a morning appointment would be best for the patient as it would be quieter and, therefore, the risk of exposure to Covid would be lessened.

Being able to rapidly contact a specialist consultant in this way meant that I secured the patient an early Saturday morning appointment to be reviewed and have the IV iron infusion carried out. Rapid Telephone Advice & Guidance meant the patient’s care was expedited safely.’

 

Dr Barnes

‘The Recovery at Home Team was concerned about an elderly patient living independently. She was known to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease but had recently become more breathless. She complained of weight loss and a poor appetite and explained that she had been collapsing at home. She was recently seen in the Emergency Department, but they felt she wasn’t improving.

We arranged an urgent outpatient clinic appointment which she attended. We assessed her with access to her medical records and previous investigations. Blood tests, an ECG and lying and standing blood pressure were checked, and advice on medication changes was given. We liaised with other services involved in her care. This enabled the patient to get the assessment and support she needed without an emergency admission.’

Related case studies

Elective Care | Trust buys back time for specialist consultants

Elective Care | Trust buys back time for specialist consultants

Telemedicine devices overcome location issues by using world-class image and sound technology so consultants can see, hear, and speak with patients as if they were at their bedside – even if they are miles away at a different hospital.

Prof-to-prof advice in NHS Tayside

Prof-to-prof advice in NHS Tayside

NHS Tayside share how their use of prof-to-prof clinical decisions or Advice & Guidance is playing a key part in their response to the national goal of redesigning unscheduled care.

Derbyshire case study: How Enhanced Advice & Guidance is supporting clinicians

Derbyshire case study: How Enhanced Advice & Guidance is supporting clinicians

In this case study, two clinicians in Derbyshire outline their experiences of using Enhanced Advice & Guidance to discuss patient cases with local specialists.

Somerset Gastroenterology Elective Care 100-Day Challenge

Somerset Gastroenterology Elective Care 100-Day Challenge

Find out why our project in Somerset features in the NHS England’s Elective Care Transformation Programme’s “Gastroenterology Elective Care Handbook & Case Studies".

- 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.

Recent tweets

Contact us

Permissions

You can view our Terms & Conditions here.

Most Read Articles

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