Consultant Connect is transforming patient care in NHS Scotland through better communications. Connecting clinicians and healthcare professionals helps patients get the best medical advice, and the NHS make the most out of its resources.
To date, this is resulting in between 30– 60% of patients avoiding an unnecessary hospital appointment.
For more detailed information about the services available across multiple Scottish Health Boards or in single Health Boards, read on. If you would like to receive a PDF copy, click here.
Consultant Connect projects in Scotland are featured in the Scottish Government ‘Best Practice Document: Best Practice Guidance for Professional to Professional Decision Support’.
Consultant Connect is available in:
- NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde
- NHS Lanarkshire
- NHS Tayside
NHS Tayside
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde
NHS Lanarkshire
Services Available and Impact
Across the 3 Scottish Health Boards
- Over 40 rapid prof-to-prof clinical advice lines available.
- Over 70,000 prof-to-prof clinical advice calls placed.
- 25% of calls to acute specialties have resulted in the patient avoiding an unnecessary trip to hospital and being signposted to the right community or hospital facility, first time.
Across NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde
- Over 11,000 rapid prof-to-prof clinical advice calls placed by Primary Care clinicians.
- 22% of calls to elective specialties have resulted in the patient avoiding an unnecessary trip to hospital and being signposted to the right community or hospital facility, first time.
The Mental Health Assessment Unit (MHAU) line connects Primary Care clinicians to senior nurses for same-day emergency mental health assessments:
- Over 900 rapid prof-to-prof clinical advice calls placed to the MHAU line.
- 24% of calls to the MHAU line have resulted in the patient avoiding an unnecessary referral.
Across NHS Lanarkshire
- Over 1,700 rapid prof-to-prof clinical advice calls placed by Primary Care clinicians.
- 63% of calls to elective specialties have resulted in the patient avoiding an unnecessary trip to hospital and being signposted to the right community or hospital facility, first time.
The Patient Connect line enables non-emergency patients and their carers to speak directly with ED consultants, rather than attend an emergency department:
- Over 1,000 calls have been placed to patients through Patient Connect.
- 60% of calls resulted in the patient being signposted to the right place or in no further action being required.
Across NHS Tayside
- Over 22,000 rapid prof-to-prof clinical advice calls placed by the Scottish Ambulance Service.
- Over 30 prof-to-prof clinical advice messages sent by the Scottish Ambulance Service to the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Referral Pathway.
- 44% of calls to acute specialties have resulted in the patient avoiding an unnecessary trip to hospital and being signposted to the right community or hospital facility, first time.
The Covid Treatment Enquiry Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU) line enables patients to initiate an IG-secure virtual consultation with a specialist clinician:
- Over 3,000 calls have been placed by patients to the line.
Download - Consultant Connect in NHS Scotland PDF
*Data correct from April 2022 – April 2023 for queries where with reported outcomes
Related materials:
- Consultant Connect in Scotland
- Virtual Consultations (Patient Connect) – NHS Lanarkshire
- Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU) – NHS Tayside
- Scottish Ambulance accessing local community respiratory nursing team through prof to prof clinical decisions – NHS Tayside
- Primary Care accessing Mental Health Units through prof to prof clinical decisions – NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde
- Prof to prof clinical decisions – Scottish Ambulance Service
- OPAT pathway – NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde
- Webinar Recording: New innovative pathways in NHS Scotland
