Sustainable change to keep waiting lists low for the future
Part of the work of the Accelerator programme is creating the sustainable change needed to keep waiting lists lower in the future. One way of doing this is to reduce the number of referrals from General Practice into hospitals, helping patients to be treated closer to their homes.
To support this, we extended our Consultant Connect service, which allows GPs to speak directly to a local secondary care specialist regarding a patient. This allows GPs to get immediate advice on treatment and often prevents the need for a referral to hospital.
A local pilot of this service has taken place at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, offering Cardiology advice and guidance directly by their Consultant team, and the service is already up and running across a range of specialities for George Eliot Hospital and South Warwickshire Foundation Trust.
The success of this scheme has led to further services being set up in paediatrics and haematology and early evidence show that usage has increased, improving patient care.
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