‘The feedback and management plans we receive are great, and the consultants are very responsive, which means I can tell my patients the outcome in less than a week, instead of waiting and not knowing when a reply will come through.’
Clinicians in North Central London ICB have had access to Enhanced Advice & Guidance (A&G) via Consultant Connect for more than five years. Initially commissioned in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the service enables NHS healthcare professionals to securely seek rapid specialist advice via telephone and photo messaging. Many of the available specialties in North Central London are provided by out-of-area NHS consultants on the National Consultant Network (NCN), and due to ever-increasing pressures on local services, the ability to receive comprehensive advice is vital.
We spoke with Dr Belinda Solomon, GP with a specialist interest in gynaecology, to find out how Consultant Connect supports her with ensuring the best care for her patients.
NCL Dermatology stats since project launch in 2020*:
More than 45,000 messages sent | Messages answered within 12 hours, on average | 74% of queries resulted in patients avoiding an unnecessary referral and being managed within the community
How and why did you start using Consultant Connect?
‘I’ve been aware of the Consultant Connect service for a long time, but have only regularly started using it recently, particularly to seek advice for dermatological queries. This is mainly because increased pressures on the local services have resulted in month-long wait times for a response from our main local teledermatology provider, the Whittington Health NHS Trust. So, our practice seeks Dermatology A&G via Consultant Connect, and it’s so much quicker. The feedback and management plans we receive are great, and the consultants are very responsive, which means I can tell my patients the outcome in less than a week, instead of waiting and not knowing when a reply will come through.’
How have you found speaking with the NHS consultants on the NCN?
‘They are very helpful. I recently had a telephone conversation with a consultant neurologist, and it was brilliant because he helped me understand what I needed to include in the patient’s referral that would benefit the local neurology team when received. It was great because we discussed our thoughts and the overall process, rather than simply referring the patient. When seeking written A&G, it’s sometimes difficult to reference nuances and subtleties you can mention during a spoken conversation.’
Why is having access to Dermatology A&G via Consultant Connect so useful?
‘I seek dermatology messaging advice for presentations such as pigmented lesions and suspicious moles, where it’s perhaps unclear if the patient requires an urgent referral. I also find specialist input helpful for rashes if it’s not a common condition like eczema or psoriasis. Getting a consultant’s opinion is great in those scenarios because you can commence patient management quickly.
‘After receiving the advice, I usually text the patient advising of the outcome, so using Consultant Connect reduces a lot of patient contact time, as they’d otherwise contact the surgery, chasing a response to the advice request.’
Patient example
‘A black male patient in his 50s presented with a very itchy rash. He had no allergies, wasn’t taking any medications, and had no history of skin complaints. I wasn’t sure what the condition could be, so I took his photos using the Consultant Connect App and sent them to a consultant dermatologist on the NCN. The consultant replied and diagnosed the patient with lichen planus, something I’ve never seen before. Receiving this advice allowed us to research the condition and set expectations with the patient regarding how long it might take to improve. This was the patient’s first presentation with this complaint, and his episode of care was concluded in a couple of weeks.
‘The process of using Consultant Connect made it much easier to commence a medication, and it was reassuring knowing that it’s for an accurate diagnosis, and that it’s unlikely the patient will return because the treatment hasn’t been effective.
‘Additionally, this service aids my learning because I now know what lichen planus looks like, and I can pick it up in the future and may not need to seek advice. Having seen this condition on darker skin makes me more aware of it, because skin rashes differ visually between complexions, so I will be more alert to lichen planus in the future.’
* correct as of June 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.
