581 - Advice and Guidance in Practice: Improving Equity and Outcomes for Patients and Clinicians

In this episode of Talking HealthTech, Peter Birch speaks with a panel of healthcare experts, including Stephanie Hodgson, physiotherapist, health project manager and industry PhD candidate at ConsultMed; Dr Shoma Dutt, paediatric gastroenterologist and senior staff specialist at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead; Dr Matthew Lam, GP and clinical advisor to ConsultMed at Riverstone Family Medical Practice; Charlie Winstanley, general manager of cardiovascular at Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust; and Dalia Croxton, senior project manager for digital health and business systems at Mater Group.

The conversation dives into the evolving role of advice and guidance (A&G) models in shaping patient outcomes, clinician workflows, and healthcare access across Australia and the UK.

The panel discusses practical benefits, such as reducing wait times, improving triage, and supporting GPs to manage complex cases more confidently.

Gain insights into how digital referral pathways and emerging technologies like AI are changing the way specialists and primary care providers collaborate.

This episode also highlights lessons learned, the importance of leadership and culture, and the challenges that remain in making A&G work effectively for both clinicians and patients.

Key Takeaways

👩‍⚕️ Advice and guidance (A&G) allows GPs and primary care providers to obtain timely specialist input without formal referrals, helping address outpatient waitlists and geographical inequities in access to care.

🚀 Examples from paediatrics, mental health, endocrinology, and other specialties show A&G resolves a significant proportion of referrals, keeping patients managed in primary care or redirecting them to more suitable services.

🌏 Both Australian and UK health systems are implementing A&G at scale, with New South Wales and Queensland adopting statewide models and the NHS seeing significant appointment diversion, reducing waiting times and improving resource use.

🤝 Effective A&G relies on streamlined workflows, bi-directional communication between primary and specialist care, clear referral criteria, and support for GPs as central care coordinators.

🤖 The future of A&G may include multidisciplinary expansion, integration with allied health, and advanced technology such as AI to improve efficiency and access for patients—while ensuring the focus remains on better outcomes and equity.

Timestamps

0:00 – Introduction

1:18 – Stephanie Hodgson defines advice and guidance

3:02 – Dr Shoma Dutt shares real-world impacts in paediatric gastroenterology

5:32 – Dr Matthew Lam describes case studies where A&G adds value and boosts equity

9:54 – Stephanie Hodgson discusses the impact of data and equity

13:01 – Dr Shoma Dutt on developing a statewide referral criteria

16:43 – Charlie Winstanley talks about A&G adoption

23:11 – Panel consensus on key ingredients for scaling A&G: leadership, technology, education, making it frictionless for GPs, and measuring impact

33:07 – Dalia Croxton on A&G transparency for patients

35:20 – Charlie Winstanley and Stephanie Hodgson explore future directions

40:21 – Dr Matthew Lam on keeping patient outcomes at the centre

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