A telemedicine provider has helped patients in Wales avoid more than 58,000 unnecessary hospital visits.
Consultant Connect’s technology connects NHS clinicians, such as GPs and paramedics, with hospital consultants for expert advice and guidance, aiming to ensure patients receive the right care immediately and are only referred to hospital when absolutely necessary.
Before Consultant Connect was rolled out in Wales, healthcare professionals would have to call the hospital switchboard to ask to speak to either a consultant or a department.
Now, they use the system to directly ‘hunt down’ a specialist consultant from a pre-defined rota for expert telephone advice.
Consultant Connect found that half of all calls and messages led to the avoidance of 58,000 unnecessary hospital visits between December 2023 and November 2024.
More than 28,000 of these patients avoided unnecessary A&E attendances.
Jonathan Patrick, CEO of Consultant Connect, said: “By making it easier for GPs and paramedics to get expert advice, NHS Wales enables half of all patients to get the care they need immediately, rather than having to wait for a hospital appointment.
“Those who do need to go to hospital are sent to the right place, first time, and with the right degree of urgency. This means that patients get better care, hospital clinicians only see patients they need to see and waiting lists are minimised.”
“We predict that with the support of NHS executives and the local health boards to develop a clear strategy to continue adoption over the next 12 months, it could result in 65,000 patients avoiding an unnecessary hospital visit with savings continuing to increase.
Brett Denning, assistant director of planned care, NHS Executive said: “We are immensely proud of how our doctors, nurses, paramedics and other clinicians, across NHS Wales have embraced the technology.”