Advice and Guidance (A&G) services provide primary care with continued access to specialist clinical advice, enabling a patient’s care to be managed in the most appropriate setting, strengthening shared decision making and avoiding unnecessary outpatient activity.
What is Advice and Guidance?
A&G is defined as non-face-to-face activity delivered by consultant-led services which can be via telephone, through NHS e-Referral Service, or through other agreed IT platforms or email addresses. By providing a digital communication channel, A&G allows a primary care clinician to seek advice from another (usually a specialist) prior to or instead of referral.
Reasons why a clinician may wish to seek advice and guidance include:
Asking another clinician or specialist for their advice on a treatment plan
Asking for clarification regarding a patient’s test results
Seeking advice on the appropriateness of a referral
Identifying the most clinically appropriate service to refer a patient into
How to access A&G at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital: