Vascular Email Advice:
Many questions about vascular problems or treatment of patients with vascular disease can be dealt with by email or telephone. Email is usually easier and quicker and will be dealt with by a Consultant. This is a recently introduced service intended to offer specialist advice on vascular patients who then may not need to be referred to a clinic if simple advice or tips would suffice. It cannot deal with appointment queries and is NOT a referral service.
There is often no need to identify the patient. If it is felt that a clinic referral would be helpful then the responding clinician will advise referral thought the normal route (SCI GATEWAY).
It is specifically for NON-Urgent cases and a reply would normally take around 2-4 days.
URGENT cases should still be referred to the Vascular Registrar on-call through RIE switchboard.
The advice service may be accessed simply via an ordinary email in Outlook using the email address below:
VascularAdvice@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
This service can be used in exactly the same way as a normal letter would be sent to a clinic, i.e. it can be dictated and typed by a secretary but instead of sending as for a normal referral, the secretary emails it for advice. This can have major advantages for patients as advice can be returned within 2-4 days instead of the patient waiting for a standard appointment.
As with other clinical messages, users must ensure that they are actioned, filed, stored or deleted appropriately. Message handling procedures should be in place similar to those used for phone calls, letters or lab results, so that NHS email cannot be overlooked; nor should it be copied e.g. by forwarding inappropriately.
If your query is about a specific patient, please include Name and CHI number in the “Subject” field so that multiple communications can be collated, and data retrieved later if a referral is made. Emails sent from @lothian, @luht and @nhslothian addresses are regarded as safe for confidential data.
For Information, NHS Lothian VASCULAR CONSULTANT SURGEONS as at June 2020
- Mr A Tambyraja – Clinical Director
- Mrs P Burns
- Mr R Chalmers
- Mr Z Raza
- Mr O Falah
- Mr R Jamieson
- Mr D Ablett
