It is anticipated that this winter will be busier than ever for the NHS, with areas doing everything they can to keep patients out of hospital.
Winter resilience strategies will have to be wide-ranging. At their heart will be the need to keep patients out of hospital and ensure that only those patients who need to be seen face-to-face by a clinician attend their hospital. A good place to start is with improving communications, and that’s where our rapid Telephone Advice & Guidance (A&G) service can help. Here’s why:
- It has an immediate impact – because you’re discussing patients who would be admitted or conveyed immediately, every call has an impact on patient flow and conveyances. Up to 2/3 of patients no longer need to attend hospital
- It can be quick to roll out – with no hardware or software barriers to hold you up, your Consultant Connect project can be rolled out in 2-3 weeks. These three NHS areas set up Consultant Connect projects quicker than ever.
What our data tells you:
Over the last eight years, Consultant Connect has formed a critical part of winter resilience plans for NHS areas, with the service covering 40 million patients across the UK, and this year will be no different.
Outcome data across our projects shows how patients benefit profoundly when clinicians use rapid Advice & Guidance:
- 68% of telephone advice calls to elective specialties result in the patient avoiding a trip to hospital
- 36% of calls from ambulance staff avoid unnecessary patient conveyances, with 43% of calls to Acute Medicine lines avoiding a conveyance
- Over 52% of GP calls to urgent care specialties avoid unnecessary admissions
Unique benefits of using our A&G service:
- Access to a pool of NHS specialists whenever local clinicians are not able to answer calls
- We connect clinicians to a specialist in under 30 seconds (UK average)
- The service eliminates long waits on switchboards
- Consultant Connect Account Managers manage rotas for receiving clinicians and engage usage from requesting clinicians
What to expect from a Consultant Connect A&G rollout:
- Proven launch plan – our experience in rolling out our service in over 46 ICB/Health Board areas to date, covering an NHS patient population of over 40 million, means you can rely on us to get the project live in the minimum time possible.
- Clinician engagement plan – with ICB/Health Board and Hospital/Trust agreement, we handle engagement with the clinicians (primary care/ambulance staff) who will be making the calls and the clinical teams at the Hospital/Trust who will be answering them. We work with over 5,000 GP surgeries, over 8,500 and Ambulance staff in 9 Ambulance Trusts across the UK.
- Comprehensive information governance (IG) pack – covering all IG requirements to ensure a smooth implementation.
If you have any questions about how our flexible solutions can support your area’s winter resilience strategies, email hello@consultantconnect.org.uk or call us on 01865 261 467.
Related materials:
- Impact Report | All the data from day 1
- Increasing operational resilience across the NHS this winter
- Consultant Connect | In The Press
