Telemedicine provider Consultant Connect has helped NHS Tayside achieve the lowest ambulance conveyance rate in Scotland.
Consultant Connect’s tech speeds up communication between paramedics and consultants. Previously, paramedics would have to go through hospital switchboards for advice from senior clinicians, which can be time-consuming, assuming they’d get an answer at all.
The tech supports ambulance and urgent care teams as it connects paramedics with consultants in less than 30 seconds on average.
The expert advice given to paramedics before conveyance in Tayside has resulted in 15 fewer patients being admitted to local hospitals per day compared to the average for Scotland.
Not only does this ease pressure on busy emergency departments, but it also leads to improved patient care while generating significant cost savings.
On average, it costs £130 extra for an ambulance to bring a patient in to A&E, so initiatives in Tayside, including implementing Consultant Connect’s technology, are estimated to save NHS Tayside over £700,000 a year.
It also saves paramedics a significant amount of time. When paramedics respond to calls in rural areas of Tayside, it can take up to two and a half hours to bring patients into hospital.
By speaking to senior clinical decision-makers, paramedics are often able to navigate patients to hospital alternatives, reducing unnecessary waits, stress and travel.
Avoiding unnecessary trips to hospitals keeps paramedics out on the road, which could save the life of another patient who needs to be urgently admitted to A&E.
The success of this Consultant Connect project comes at an important time for Public Health Scotland, where 32% of patients have to wait longer than four hours to be seen in A&E.
Consultant Connect’s tech serves as a vital tool to ensure patients get the right care, first time avoiding unnecessary A&E visits
Jamie Morrison, A&E Consultant and Clinical Lead for the Flow Navigation Centre (NHS Tayside, Scotland), said: “Tayside covers a wide geographical area, with people coming from somewhere like Kinloch Rannoch, which is about a two and a half hour ambulance transfer from Dundee to here.
“This is not always necessary, so it’s about navigating that for patients.
“Using Consultant Connect has meant that we now have the lowest ambulance conveyance rate in Scotland.
“Compared to the national average, it works out that about 15 fewer ambulances come to our hospitals each day.
“This frees up our clinical capacity, saves the ambulances time in conveyance and handovers, and ultimately, gives the patients a better experience.”
Jonathan Patrick, CEO of Consultant Connect, said: “Long waiting times caused by unnecessary hospital visits are a huge drain on the NHS.
“This project has gone a long way to resolve this and we’re proud that our technology has meant that Tayside has the lowest ambulance conveyance rate in Scotland.
“This is a perfect example of how using digital tools leads to better patient outcomes. They free up clinician time and save money, it’s time for the NHS to go all-in and embrace the opportunity to get these technologies rolled out everywhere.
“And Tayside deserves particular recognition for being a trailblazer, we’re delighted to work with such a brilliant team.”
For more information, go to: www.consultantconnect.org.uk
