Advisor Connect technology unlocks A&E potential

Consultant Connect’s technology enables paramedics to treat patients quickly and effectively by connecting them to specialist consultants in same-day emergency care units for advice and guidance.

As a result, one in three calls to the service meant that paramedics were able to avoid taking patients to A&E, instead getting them to the right department and bypassing busy emergency rooms, according to the company.

Dubbed ‘talk before you walk’, paramedics are able to avoid NHS switchboards and instead have quicker access to specialists to help determine treatment pathways for patients.

Once the paramedic has seen the patient, they can speak to consultants in a range of units, including Same Day Emergency Units (SDEC), infirmaries, out-of-hours GPs and acute medicine.

The system is helping to ease patient flow through the health care system as well as reducing pressure on busy NHS A&E departments.

In addition, Consultant Connect also enables paramedics to quickly contact pre-alert teams, allowing A&E or other clinical areas to prepare appropriately for incoming patients.

Jonathan Will, a paramedic and national reform advisor for NHS Scotland, said: “Professional-to-professional systems (also known as mentoring and guidance) like Consultant Connect make it possible for paramedics to receive expert advice while they are with the patient – ​​helping the patient receive better care and hospitals Helps save vital capacity.”

Bypassing A&E

SDEC was launched by the NHS in May 2021 to treat patients who require hospital care but do not require an overnight stay. Consultant Connect now provides 20 NHS regions with a fast and streamlined communication route to units.

Consultant Connect is used by two out of three UK ambulance trusts including the West Midlands, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and South East London, Tayside and Lanarkshire in Scotland and across Wales.

Last July, all ambulance services in England were placed on the highest alert level because of delays in offloading patients to under-capacity A&E wards. Using services such as Consultant Connect helps avoid unnecessary A&E visits and expedite patient care.

Jonathan Patrick, CEO of Consultant Connect, said: “Patients taken to hospital by ambulance staff often have to queue to get to A&E departments. The impact of ambulance delays is a lack of ambulances for other patients who have called 999 Called on.

“Our service helps patients get care without going to the hospital, if possible. Consultant Connect also acts as a triaging service, meaning patients can bypass the queue at A&E and go straight to SDEC or another suitable ward. We can’t solve the crisis in A&E, but we can do our part to take the pressure off.”

Ambulance services are becoming increasingly technology-driven. Earlier this year the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust announced it was the first ambulance service to pilot the new technology which provides enhanced connectivity, even in areas where cellular connectivity is impossible.