It is undoubtedly proven that Advice & Guidance (A&G) avoids unnecessary hospital visits. However, for A&G to be truly effective, specialists need to manage the workload and reply promptly and reliably.
As well as helping clear backlogs, triage outcomes highlighted where existing pathways were helping patients access the right care, and where there were opportunities for pathway re-design.
Our Referral Triage and Clinical Validation service uses the expertise of NHS consultants who work remotely as ‘virtual locums’ to triage referral backlogs in bulk and new referrals as they come in.
Our service is unique for a multitude of reasons, including because Telephone Advice & Guidance calls are answered quickly.
In this article, we share examples of how virtual clinical capacities are supporting NHS areas across the UK relieve pressures on local teams and improve patient care.
For ICBs and Trusts seeking flexible, clinically-led solutions, the National Consultant Network (NCN) offers immediate, scalable support.
Using Consultant Connect helps reduce the number of unnecessary hospital visits and ensures patients get the right care, the first time.
Consultant Connect’s clinically-led Referral Triage and Validation service supports specialty teams to reduce their waiting list backlogs in bulk and/or new referrals as they come in.
In 2025, Consultant Connect was certified as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces for the year, including one of the UK’s Best Workplaces for Development, in Healthcare, for Wellbeing and for Women.
In this article, we share an example of how our consultant-led Referral Triage and Validation service is being used to reduce neurology waiting lists.