Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Patients with uncomplicated hyperthyroidism referred by their GP to our Department had a waiting time of 3–4 months before been seen by a Consultant. As a result of this, funding was provided for setting-up a Thyroid Nurse-Led Clinic (TNLC) aiming to resolve the problem. The clinic started running in May 2005.

Aim: To assess the benefits of the TNLC for the NHS.

Patients and methods: The data of visits of patients seen in the TNLC between June 2005 and February 2008 were reviewed.

Results: During the review period, 276 appointments were seen (distributed in one clinic per week with capacity of 2 new patients and 4 follow-ups). Amongst them, 60 were new referrals. All patients had uncomplicated thyrotoxicosis. Full patient consultation was undertaken by the Endocrine Specialist Nurse excluding physical assessment, which was performed by the Endocrine Consultant. The mean time between referral and first clinic appointment was 2 weeks. Prescribing and drug dose adjustments were done under the guidelines developed in the Department and supplementary nurse prescribing, reducing the doctor’s workload. Correspondence to patients and GPs was the responsibility of the nurse without the requirement of secretarial support. The income generated to the NHS Trust by appointments only was £32 000. During the review period and after subtracting the time the Endocrine Consultant had to spend with the new and follow-up patients, the TNLC increased the capacity of the Department by 40 new and 173 follow-up appointments.

Conclusions: The TNLC has enabled a reduction in patient waiting times. Under the current NHS financial climate, a specialist nurse running a Thyroid Clinic provides a cost-effective service increasing the capacity of the Department and allowing the Consultant to see more complicated patients without delay. Nurse-Led Clinics will contribute towards Trusts achieving both national and local targets.