‘Enhanced A&G is a much better system. It allows conversational discussion and helps me deal with uncertainty in a timely, relevant, and reasonable way.’
The rollout of Enhanced Advice & Guidance (A&G) across NHS Greater Manchester has given local clinicians in all 10 boroughs rapid access to a wide range of elective care specialties. Provided by out-of-area NHS consultants on the National Consultant Network (NCN), clinicians can use telephone and photo messaging to receive timely, expert advice when it matters most.
NHS Greater Manchester stats*:
17 Telephone specialties available | 20 Messaging specialties available | Calls answered within 23 seconds on average | 83% first-time connection rate | Messages answered within three hours on average | Covering more than 380 GP surgeries
We caught up with Dr Syeda Farah Farzana, a GP Trainee in Tameside, to understand how Consultant Connect is supporting her during her training:
What made you want to use Consultant Connect?
‘Alongside my GP training, I’m also a clinical fellow at NICE, and one of my mentors told me about the Consultant Connect App – especially how useful it is for newly qualified practitioners and the impact it’s already having in Greater Manchester.
‘As a trainee running independent clinics, traditional routes for A&G often feel fragmented. I just want an answer in that moment, and continuity of care can be difficult as a result. When contacting on-call teams, I don’t want to waste their time if it’s not urgent – and it can be challenging to speak to someone with the authority to advise.
‘Enhanced A&G is a much better system. It allows conversational discussion and helps me deal with uncertainty in a timely, relevant, and reasonable way.’
Paediatrics: reassurance for families, confidence for clinicians
‘One of the first times I used Consultant Connect was for a young paediatric patient presenting with a prominent hyperpigmented lesion around the lip. It looked classical of vitiligo, but I’d never seen this presentation in such a young patient. I was concerned it could be something impacting his immunity or a different diagnosis entirely.
‘I was very aware of how sensitive uncertainty can be in paediatric care, and the anxiety it can cause families, so I wanted specialist input. I was connected to a consultant paediatrician via Consultant Connect within 20 seconds, whose vast knowledge helped me explore a wide range of differential diagnoses. One such cause was persistent fluoride exposure from toothpaste causing localised hyperpigmentation, which I hadn’t even considered.
‘The consultant didn’t think further blood tests were warranted and instead gave lots of practical lifestyle advice I could relay to the family. This was a huge reassurance for the patient’s mother, and she admitted that she hadn’t originally wanted to come to the practice because she feared her concerns wouldn’t be listened to.
‘Now, the patient’s hyperpigmentation has significantly improved, and it was a great result that no steroids were required.’
Endocrinology: avoiding unnecessary invasive investigations
‘In another case, a young, physically active patient presented with fatigue and persistently raised creatinine and CK levels. We repeated the blood tests with the same results and no clear explanation. I wanted advice on whether a watch-and-wait approach was sensible or if she needed an expedited referral for further investigations.
‘My trainer and I used Consultant Connect to speak with an acute medical consultant, who reassured us the results were not in an urgent or red-flag range. During the conversation, the consultant mentioned that lifestyle supplements or anabolic steroids were a possible cause. In a follow-up consultation, the patient confirmed supplement and steroid use and chose to stop.
‘Eight weeks later, her bloods had returned to normal parameters, and her symptoms had resolved. It was a seamless process. We avoided an MRI and other invasive investigations, reassured the patient it wasn’t anything sinister, and supported her to make safer lifestyle choices.’
* Stats correct as of January 2026.
You can download a PDF of this case study here.
