Referral Pathways in Coventry and Warwickshire
Updated 11/08/2024
All Optometrists in Coventry, Rugby, North and South Warwickshire must refer ALL routine and urgent eye conditions (including cataract, medical retina and paediatric referrals) through the Electric Eyecare Referral System (EeRS)/Cinapsis.
For emergencies, optometrists should continue to use Swift Queue. For Urgent Suspect Cancer, please direct these referrals to the patient’s GP.
Optometrists can send referrals, including images and documents, to the Coventry and Warwickshire Ophthalmology Coordination Service (OCS) via EeRS. The OCS offer patients a choice of suitable providers and transfers the referral to eRS to go to Secondary Care providers.
Please check where the patient’s GP is based and refer as appropriate. At the moment the referral system is only for patients with a GP within the Coventry, Rugby & Warks ICB. If your practice is outside the ICB area but you refer patients with GP’s from the ICB area, please apply for EeRS registration.
Optometric practices will be notified of referral acceptance via Cinapsis, with a UBRN number for communication with secondary care, and can track referrals using EeRS. GP practices will be informed by email from Cinapsis and receive a copy of the referral letter for the patient record.
SOUTH WARWICKSHIRE UPDATE
The CHEC portal has been decommissioned and therefore for patients with a South Warwickshire GP, referrals are to be sent via the pathway above using EeRS/Cinapsis. However, CHEC post-op cataract and South Warwickshire MECS service will still use the CHEC portal.
Also, to help with cross border referrals, those patients registered with a Worcestershire GP can be referred using the CHEC portal. The link below directs you to Worcestershire’s LOC website for further information on their referral guidance.
https://www.locworcestershire.co.uk/
Fast Track Referral Pathway for WET AMD / DMO / RVO
The Urgent Medical Retina section of EeRS can be used to make urgent medical retina referrals for WET AMD, DMO and RVO. This replaces the NHS.net email pathways. Patients will be offered a choice of suitable providers e.g. UHCW, SWFT, Camphill NewMedica, CHEC, SpaMedica.
Choroidal naevi can also be referred via the urgent medical retina section on EeRS. Please refer to this guidance below when referring. The MOLES algorithm highlights the most important indicators of malignancy.
Referrals via GP
Optometrists should continue to contact the GP’s directly via nhs.net email or referral letter as per current set up for systemic conditions.
Urgent suspect cancer referrals should be referred to the patient’s GP within 24 hours as per current set up unless it is considered to fall within the Emergency referral as above.
University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire Eye Casualty (UHCW) – Emergency
UHCW Eye Casualty accepts referrals for emergency and urgent cases from Optometrists in Coventry, Rugby, North Warwickshire, and South Warwickshire area.
UHCW eye casualty is NOT A WALK IN SERVICE (please do not advise a patient to come straight down to eye casualty)
Please advise patients to book a telephone triage appointment via UHCW Eye Casualty Swift Queue or offer TRIAGE NUMBER FOR PATIENTS: 02476964800
The eye casualty line is open Monday to Friday (9:00am – 1:00pm and 1:30pm – 5:00pm) excluding bank holidays. Saturday reduced hours (9:00am-12:00pm)
Please see leaflet below with QR code on information with information on how patients can access UHCW eye casualty:
UHCW Eye Casualty Access Information for Patients
TRIAGE NUMBER FOR CLINICIAN TO CLINICIAN (this is available through the practice – if you are a Locum Optometrist, please ask the store for this number). This number should NOT be given to patients and is only for health care professionals to speak to eye casualty directly regarding their patient either for advice or for their patient to be seen.
Triage tool for UHCW Eye Casualty COVID
When you call the eye casualty line, you will be spoken to by a clinician (either an Orthoptist, Optometrist, or Ophthalmologist)
For advice out of hours, please call NHS 111 or seek advice from Minor Injuries/On-call Ophthalmologist.
UHCW E-Referrals
Optometrists from Coventry, Rugby, North, and South Warwickshire can use E-referrals to refer their adult and paediatric patients.
This referral pathway is to UHCW only. This is NOT for same day emergency referrals, please refer to information above regarding this. It is also not for WET AMD referrals, this is a separate pathway. This e-referral pathway is for patients who need to be seen urgently within 3 days.
The e-referral service is manned from 9am-1.00pm, 1.30- 4.30pm. Monday to Friday- excluding Bank Holidays
Referral process:
Please send the e-referral to UHCW.eyecasualty@NHS.net using referral form located just below (named as Emergency Eye Clinic referral form). Ideally, you would need to send this via the practice NHS.net account If you do not have access to this, you can send this from your personal NHS.net account.
All adult and paediatric patients need to be booked a telephone call back via swiftqueue for e-referrals. This allows UHCW Eye Casualty to get in touch with the patient/parent and the patient/parent is aware of the time frame for a callback.
When booking the telephone appointment via swiftqueue please can the optometrist write that an e-referral has been sent in the comment section.
Emergency Eye Clinic Referral Form
Please bare in mind that this service is not read over the weekend. Please do not use this for immediate emergency referrals.