“I use the Consultant Connect App to get consultant advice within minutes, with the patient sitting in front of me and without having to negotiate busy hospital switchboards.”
Dr Jonathan Griffin has been a GP for 18 years, he is currently working as a partner in the Penarth Healthcare Partnership in the Vale of Glamorgan, Cardiff.
Clinicians in this area have had access to Consultant Connect Advice & Guidance since June 2020 and specialty lines are answered by local specialists from Cardiff & Vale University Health Board and out-of-area NHS consultants on Consultant Connect’s National Consultant Network.
“I use the Consultant Connect App to get consultant advice within minutes, with the patient sitting in front of me and without having to negotiate busy hospital switchboards, which has been a real positive development. I have spoken with both consultants working in our local hospital and out-of-area NHS consultants for advice. I’d definitely recommend colleagues to use Consultant Connect. It is extremely easy to use, it took no time to set up the free app on my phone. It’s quick, easy and convenient.”
Dr Griffin has provided the below two examples of when he has used Telephone Advice & Guidance to speak to a local hospital consultant and an out-of-area NHS consultant:
Case Study 1
“A patient presented with severe symptoms of back pain, knee pain with effusion, ankle pain and clear evidence of synovitis. The presentation was of an acute flare up of probable seronegative arthritis. The patient had already been referred to Rheumatology and was awaiting an outpatient appointment. The condition had clearly deteriorated significantly and rapidly, the patient was in a lot of pain could barely mobilise and was in significant distress.”
How Telephone Advice & Guidance helped:
“I spoke to an out-of-area consultant Rheumatologist via Consultant Connect for advice. With the current COVID-19 climate, I wanted to avoid admission at all costs, so it was helpful to be able to discuss my plan to treat the patient’s condition with a consultant and their reassurance meant a hospital admission was avoided.”
“Using Telephone Advice & Guidance was reassuring for me and gave me confidence that I was making the best decision and the patient was relieved that they didn’t need to be admitted to hospital.”
Case Study 2
“I saw a patient with chronic facial swelling of about 6 weeks and I was concerned with the possibility of vena cava obstruction. I spoke with a consultant in my local hospital via Consultant Connect. I wanted the patient to have a chest X-ray urgently but, due to the current COVID-19 climate, I wanted to try to avoid a trip for the clinically vulnerable patient to the Medical Emergency Assessment Unit at the hospital.”
How Telephone Advice & Guidance helped:
“The consultant arranged for the chest X-ray to be done that afternoon and looked at the film themselves, allowing us to then investigate urgently as an outpatient.”
This was a great result for the patient as it meant they got the right care faster, reassuring them that their problem was being dealt with efficiently.
