Heartbeat: Neurology referral assessment service heads online

April 9, 2021

The ongoing pandemic has placed restrictions on our services like we’ve never known before; but what it has brought about is an abundance of collaboration, new thinking, kindness and innovation.

One such team that has faced the difficulties head-on presented by COVID-19 is our neurology team. We caught up with Andy Wilkinson, Directorate General Manager – Admitted Care B who told us more.

“Following the restart of elective neurology services after the first wave of COVID-19, the neurology team wanted to use the opportunity of the service restarting to simplify and improve patient pathways. The one thing the pandemic has taught us to do is think differently.

“The initial implementation of the neurology referral assessment service was led by Dr Nicholl, Specialty Lead and I, with the support of the patient access team. What this means in a practical sense is that any neurology outpatient referrals are done via a referral form which is available on Connect. This updated process has been in place since the start of the pandemic, and we’ve seen a good uptake among colleagues using this form.

“This new referral service has drastically improved the specialties waiting list management and improved the booking processes as triage is prompt. For patients, the pathway is improved too. They are better supported by their GPs in the community avoiding unnecessary trips to the hospital.

“Patients also receive a more efficient pathway when referred to the hospital as required diagnostics can be identified and completed before their first appointment with a consultant. It means patients have a much greater chance of receiving treatment earlier and don’t require long waits for follow up appointments. It also means we can hopefully empower and support our primary care colleagues in their clinical decision making.”

Dr Nicholl added: “The implementation of the neurology referral assessment service has drastically improved the treatment pathways for both patients and clinicians and has allowed the service to fully recover after stepping down services during the first wave of COVID-19.

“This approach means not only a better system for ensuring the patient is in the correct clinic but that we’re also optimising the best and safest manner for the patient to have an appointment, e.g. via phone, video or face to face. As the situation we find ourselves in continues to evolve, so will we.”