Renal e-mail advice line
GPs in Lothian and the Scottish Borders can ask questions via our renal advice line: rie.renaladvice@luht.scot.nhs.uk.
The advice line is regarded as secure if contacted from email addresses within the NHS network. So it is helpful to know the patients name and CHI number, in the email subject line is nice, so that we can look up results.
Please remember that for patients already known to our service, it is better to e-mail their renal consultant directly. This is usually the consultant who has written their most recent clinic letter.
Advantages:
- We usually respond within 48 hrs
- Queries answered by consultants, not mid-task registrars.
- With access to results and thinking time.
- There is a written record of the conversation and advice.
- No hanging about on a phone line.
What we cannot offer:
This advice line is solely for the use of health professionals seeking advice; we are unable to answer questions from patients through this route.
If you are asking about a patient who is already known to the renal unit, then please contact their renal consultant directly if possible. (All we will do on the advice line is forward your question on and it saves time to cut out the middle-man!)
You cannot make formal referrals this way yet. If your patient ends up being referred (only a small minority do) then this needs to be done in the usual way. In that event, cutting-and-pasting from the e-mail exchange makes it quick and easy to generate the formal referral.