Healthcare professionals in NCL ICB have access to a range of elective care specialties for Enhanced Advice & Guidance (A&G) provided by out-of-area NHS consultants on the National Consultant Network (NCN), including messaging services for dermatology lesions and dermatology advice.
Implemented to help reduce unnecessary Emergency Department attendances, Prof-to-Prof Advice also helps to ensure timely access to advice for local healthcare professionals, enabling patients to receive the right care in the right place the first time.
The National Consultant Network comprises out-of-area NHS consultants who support clinicians by providing Advice & Guidance via telephone and/or messaging, helping patients receive the right care in the right place the first time.
NHS Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes ICS was created in early 2020 when the previous individual NHS areas merged into one. Since this development, their project in partnership with Consultant Connect has grown year on year. In this article, we look at the key milestones and usage stats since the project’s launch.
Consultant Connect’s Enhanced Advice & Guidance service enables Medway and Swale ICP clinicians to access rapid and secure specialist input via telephone and photo messaging from more than 30 specialties. Due to locally unavailable services, many of the specialties provided are delivered by out-of-area NHS consultants on the National Consultant Network (NCN).
Consultant Connect’s groundbreaking technology connects clinicians with UHCW specialists for rapid communication, allowing children to receive diagnoses and treatment plans quicker.
The introduction of the Acute Paediatrics line led to the overall usage of Consultant Connect in Lanarkshire tripling, therefore ensuring patients are treated in the right place for their care the first time. We spoke with Dr David Beattie, the Acute Paediatrics Consultant who helped set up the line, to find out what the catalyst for change was:
Our recent winter 2025 feedback survey found that 80% of WAST clinicians would recommend Consultant Connect to a colleague. We spoke with WAST EMT Shaun Martin-Brand to find out why his experience has been so positive.
Following the launch of the Infectious Diseases Professional-to-Professional Advice line via Consultant Connect, we spoke with clinicians to discuss its benefits.
In October 2023, the first pan-Wales Telephone Advice & Guidance line provided by Public Health Wales via Consultant Connect was launched, providing access to all NHS clinicians in Wales.