What Consultant Connect does

Consultant Connect Limited is a UK-based telemedicine provider founded in 2015 and headquartered at One St. Aldates, Oxford. The company operates a clinician-to-clinician communications platform serving the NHS, designed to connect primary care clinicians (GPs, ambulance paramedics, mental health clinicians) with hospital-based specialist consultants for rapid Advice & Guidance (A&G). The platform delivers services through multiple channels — telephone, instant messaging, NHS e-RS (Electronic Referral Service) integration, and a secure clinical photography tool (PhotoSAF) accessible via iOS/Android apps and a web portal. Core products are Enhanced Advice & Guidance, e-RS Connect (co-developed with the NHS e-RS team using official APIs and claimed to make workflows 2–4x faster), Referral Triage and Validation, the National Consultant Network (NCN) of out-of-area NHS consultants, Teledermatology, Patient-Initiated Follow-Up (PIFU), and Patient Connect. The platform covers over 45 million NHS patients across more than 80 NHS organisations spanning over half of the NHS in England, Scotland, and Wales, with over 500,000 messages and 4 million clinical photos processed since launch.

The underlying technology stack combines a web platform, native iOS/Android applications, and direct integration with the NHS Electronic Referral Service via official NHS APIs. Differentiated technical components include the National Consultant Network (a switch-on/switch-off pool of remote NHS consultants providing specialty backup), e-RS Connect (NHS co-developed workflow acceleration), and PhotoSAF (IG-/GDPR-compliant clinical image capture). The business model is a B2B subscription/commissioned contract: services are procured at the system level by NHS Integrated Care Boards, Health Boards, and individual NHS Trusts on multi-year contracts. GTM is enterprise field sales to NHS decision-makers, reinforced by NHS procurement framework listings, the Scottish Government Best Practice endorsement, peer-led case studies, and conferences (e.g., RCGP). The company is private and founder-owned with 11–50 employees; in 2025 founding CEO Jonathan Patrick stepped down after a decade, with Kat James and Lucy Sammons appointed as joint Managing Directors.

Name

Consultant Connect

Legal name

Consultant Connect Limited

Website

https://consultantconnect.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Consultant Connect is a UK-based telemedicine platform, founded in 2015, that connects NHS primary care clinicians with specialist consultants via telephone, messaging, and NHS e-RS integration. Its Advice & Guidance, referral triage, and teledermatology services cover over 45 million NHS patients across England, Scotland, and Wales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

NHS Telemedicine Platform

NAICS

Offices of All Other Miscellaneous Health Practitioners (621399)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Care Navigation & Triage-to-Provider Referral Platforms (HLALALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialist Referral & Appointment Booking Platforms (HLALALAB), Nurse Triage & Clinical Call-Center Teletriage Platforms (HLALAJAC)

Keywords

• NHS telemedicine platform
• Clinical advice and guidance
• Referral triage services
• Teledermatology solutions
• Clinician-to-clinician communication

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. NHS Commissioning Contracts: Consultant Connect generates revenue through contracts with NHS commissioners (ICBs, Health Boards) and NHS Trusts for Advice & Guidance services, referral triage, and clinical validation. Services are commissioned at system level for deployment across NHS organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Consultant Connect is a telemedicine platform that provides clinician-to-clinician Advice & Guidance services for the NHS, connecting primary care clinicians with specialist consultants via telephone, instant messaging, and the NHS e-RS Electronic Referral Service. The platform includes e-RS Connect for referral system integration, a National Consultant Network of out-of-area NHS specialists, Referral Triage and Validation for backlog management, and modules such as Teledermatology with PhotoSAF clinical photography, Patient-Initiated Follow-Up (PIFU), and Messaging Advice & Guidance. Services are commissioned at the system level by NHS Integrated Care Boards, Health Boards, and Trusts, covering over 45 million NHS patients across England, Scotland, and Wales.

Product overview

Consultant Connect is a telemedicine platform offering a unified suite of clinician-to-clinician communication services. The core offering centers on Enhanced Advice & Guidance (A&G) delivered through multiple channels: telephone, instant messaging, and NHS e-RS integration. The platform is complemented by e-RS Connect for NHS electronic referral system integration, a National Consultant Network of remote NHS consultants, and Referral Triage services for backlog management. Additional modules include Teledermatology with PhotoSAF photo capture, Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU), Messaging Advice & Guidance, Patient Connect for phone follow-ups, and Telemedicine Devices. The platform covers over 45 million NHS patients across England, Scotland, and Wales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• National Consultant Network (NCN): Network of out-of-area NHS consultants who can answer pre-referral Advice & Guidance calls or review photos and messages
• e-RS Connect
• PhotoSAF
• Patient Connect

Products and services

• Enhanced Advice & Guidance (A&G) Multi-channel Advice & Guidance service enabling primary care clinicians to request specialist advice via telephone, instant messaging, or NHS e-RS, supported by the National Consultant Network and designed to fit into existing NHS clinical workflows.
• e-RS Connect Integration with NHS e-RS (Electronic Referral Service) using official NHS e-RS APIs, helping secondary care clinicians manage Advice & Guidance and referral workloads 2-4x faster.
• Referral Triage and Validation Service using remote NHS consultants to triage backlogs and temporarily support restoration of services, including bulk review and validation of waiting list patients and new referrals.
• National Consultant Network (NCN) Network of out-of-area NHS consultants who answer pre-referral Advice & Guidance calls, review photos and messages, and provide locally unavailable specialties as backup for local teams.
• Patient-Initiated Follow-Up (PIFU) Follow-up service that enables patients to initiate an IG-secure virtual consultation with a specialist clinician, with all data and call recordings accessible via Consultant Connect in the browser.
• Teledermatology Photo messaging Advice & Guidance service for dermatology, enabling clinicians to capture and send clinical photos for specialist review, reducing unnecessary dermatology referrals.
• PhotoSAF Secure clinical photography technology integrated into the Consultant Connect App for capturing and sharing IG-compliant clinical images with specialists, with over four million images taken since first photo in 2017.
• Messaging Advice & Guidance Instant messaging service for clinician-to-clinician communication, with over half a million messages sent since launch and a 35% year-on-year increase in non-dermatology messaging.
• Patient Connect Follow-up consultation service by phone, enabling secondary care clinicians to conduct patient follow-ups remotely.
• Telemedicine Devices Technology solutions for telemedicine delivery including devices that enable specialist doctors to be at patients' bedsides virtually.
• Advice and Refer Service that streamlines the referral process by enabling clinicians to obtain specialist advice and convert advice requests to referrals when needed.

Quantifiable outcome

• Waiting lists reduced by 33-39% on average through Referral Triage
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• NHS e-RS TeamcoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaborative development with the NHS e-RS team using official NHS e-RS APIs to create e-RS Connect. This integration enables secondary care clinicians to manage their Advice & Guidance and referral workloads through the NHS Electronic Referral Service system, delivering 2-4x faster workflow processing.
• NHS ScotlandcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership commissioned to provide digital image capture solution (PhotoSAF) across NHS Scotland, integrating with Scotland's referral platform. Represents a nationwide deployment for teledermatology services across all Scottish health boards.
• Bridges2Health&RightsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to transform healthcare for people with severe skin conditions in Lebanon. Consultant Connect provides telemedicine technology platform to support dermatology care for refugees and underserved populations.
• International League of Dermatological Societies (ILDS)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with ILDS as part of international effort to improve dermatological care. Supports the Burma Skincare Initiative and Lebanon dermatology projects using UK telemedicine technology.
• Scottish GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsultant Connect is featured in the Scottish Government Best Practice Document: Best Practice Guidance for Professional to Professional Decision Support, establishing the platform as a recommended solution for NHS Scotland.
• NHS Procurement FrameworkscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorListed on NHS procurement frameworks and accreditations, enabling easier commissioning by NHS Integrated Care Boards, NHS Trusts, and Health Boards through approved procurement channels.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• eConsult Health: NHS-focused online consultation and triage platform for GPs and secondary care; competes for the same NHS commissioner budget on digital triage and A&G pathways.
• AccuRx: UK healthcare messaging and consultation platform widely used by NHS GPs; overlaps with Consultant Connect on clinician communications, patient messaging, and primary-care workflow integration.
• Cinapsis: UK clinician-to-clinician telemedicine platform connecting GPs to specialists for Advice & Guidance and triage in the NHS. Directly comparable to Consultant Connect in product, customer base (NHS) and clinical workflow.
• Refero: UK/NHS telemedicine and video consultation provider used by Trusts and ICBs for clinician-to-clinician and remote consultations; competes with Consultant Connect's PIFU and video-based modules.

Broad incumbents

• Push Doctor: UK digital GP provider offering NHS video consultations; comparable as an NHS-commissioned telehealth incumbent, though focused on patient-facing appointments rather than clinician-to-clinician A&G.
• Babylon Health (eMed): Former UK digital health leader (now eMed) that offered NHS GP video consultations and AI triage; relevant incumbent in NHS digital primary care despite retrenchment in the UK market.
• Livi (Kry): European digital health major (Kry/Livi) offering NHS GP video consultations and patient-facing telehealth; overlaps at the platform layer but is broader and patient-facing rather than clinician-to-clinician.

Emerging players

• Doccla: UK virtual ward and remote monitoring provider working with NHS Trusts; an emerging player intersecting with Consultant Connect's hospital-at-home and remote clinical oversight use cases.
• Health Navigator: UK clinical health coaching and triage vendor active in NHS pathways; overlaps with Consultant Connect in care navigation and reducing avoidable hospital utilisation.

Others

• TympaHealth: UK-connected medical device / telehealth provider in NHS hearing and ENT pathways; adjacent rather than directly competitive, useful as a comparable for specialty NHS digital health commercialisation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/consultantconn
• YouTubevimeo.com/consultantconnect
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/consultant-connect-uk

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Consultant Connect