Electronic patient referrals are becoming the method of choice for the NHS. Derbyshire has been selected to be one of the early implementers of this.

Watch out for information and events to do with this. If you are not on the email list contact Lesley Parkinson, info@derbyshireloc.co.uk, to get all the latest information.

 

7/7/24

Eyecare electronic Referral Service (EeRS) Opticians Update and Onboarding Process

We are excited to share that Eyecare electronic Referral Service (EeRS) is now LIVE for the Community Eyecare Service (Wheatbridge) – North and five local optical practices as of 30th April 2024. A controlled rollout plan is underway with wave 2 opticians set to go-live on the 14th May 2024. Further waves of opticians will be notified of their potential go-live dates as the project progresses.

Services in the South are progressing with University Hospital at Derby and Burton with all their associated sites finalising their service and looking to test the service over the next couple of months.

The EeRS Project Team and Local Optical Committee (LOC) would like to say a massive THANK YOU for all those optometrists who have submitted their expressions of interest and are either in progress or waiting for go-live. Our reports indicate, an impressive 61 (58%) Derbyshire opticians have submitted an expression of interest, of which:

13 (12%) are progressing through the onboarding process.
43 (41%) are stacked waiting for go-live.
5 (5%) are live with access to Wheatbridge.
The EeRS Project Team and Local Optical Committee (LOC) are here to support you all through this transition to EeRS, please do not hesitate to contact the team or Cinapsis for guidance.

We have attached the Data Protection Protocol-DPP (also known as Data Protection Agreement-DPA) and Onboarding guide for anyone waiting to onboard with the key actions needed below.

Please see below for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on EeRS.
Key actions for ALL Practice owners/ managers: 

Please open the Onboarding guide and complete the following steps:

Sign the attached Data Protection Protocol- DPP (if necessary)
Click the link here:  https://6672093.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/6672093/Midlands%20Onboarding%20Doc_V1.1.pdf
Complete the ‘Register You Interest’ steps using the guidance
Once you have completed the initial registration of interest, a colleague from Cinapsis will guide you through your next steps on the Cinapsis Onboarding dashboard:

Waiting for confirmation
Internal checks for Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT)
Any outstanding information needed (including Data Protection Protocol-DPP)
Register your User Account
A welcome email to register for Cinapsis will be sent to you. Please ensure to check your junk mail. Select the pink ‘Complete my registration’ link within the email and follow the steps.
Your username will be the email address that you provided.
Complete your admin training
Onboard users to your practice
FAQS

What is EeRS? 

EeRS stands for Eyecare electronic Referral System

This is shorthand for a secure, electronic system for the two-way transfer of patient and clinical data (including images and Optical Coherence Tomography-OCT scans) between eye care services.

 

What are the benefits of EeRS over the current referrals via post and email? 

Electronic referrals will be faster and more reliable
Will standardise referrals to General Ophthalmic Services (GOS-18) and local criteria
Will allow attachment of any relevant images and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scans, enhancing quality of referrals
Will allow overview for Optometrists of patient’s position in their referral journey
Will provide confirmation that the referral has been accepted or rejected, with optometrists guidance where appropriate.
Please note, Cinapsis are developing a feedback solution to share secondary care discharge summaries with referring opticians in the future.
Will support local pathway navigation for referrers
Will integrate with patient management systems
Will integrate and work with existing Referral Assessment Services (RAS) patient choice centres
Will support net zero vision by reducing paper, printing and transport usage.
What types of referrals are to be included in EeRS?

All referrals following on from a Sight test (GOS or private)
Please note: Referrals from Enhanced Community Service appointments, such as from within MECS/CUES will continue to be sent via OPERA.

 

Advice and Guidance

All current advice and guidance will remain in place in Derbyshire. Please continue to use your Consultant Connect accounts to send advice and guidance requests.
What technical equipment is required in my practice? 

The Cinapsis EeRS system operates through your practice computer and uses a website hosted on the cloud (this means no software installation is required). You will require:

Internet connected computer running Windows 10 (generally 2018 or newer)
Memory: 4GB or more, Hard drive space: 500Mb or more available, Processor: 1.5Ghz or above.
What will happen in areas of poor broadband IT connectivity?

Where broadband is non-existent, this will be an issue.

However, where there is simply a temporary breakdown, the aim is for the system to have a ‘holding facility’, which will allow referrals to be stored and sent securely when internet connection is restored.

 

Who has been commissioned to provide EeRS in the Midlands?

Cinapsis: Smart Referrals

 

Who is leading the project and who is responsible for its success? 

NHS England and NHS Improvement are responsible for delivering the National Eye Care Recovery and Transformation Programme, of which EeRS is a part.

NHS England Regions have a leading role in EeRS adoption, alongside Integrated Care Boards (ICBs).

 

What is the role of Derbyshire LOC?

Funding has been made available for the three ‘Early Adopter’ LOCs (Shropshire, Staffordshire and Derbyshire) to support the roll out of EeRS in their respective counties.

The LOC will

Support practices with enrolment onto EeRS
Help answer any questions or concerns practitioners have on EeRS
Who is providing training on how to use the new EeRS platform?

The commissioned provider, Cinapsis, will be providing online training and familiarisation material for Optometry practices on how to use their EeRS platform.  Where additional support is needed please do not hesitate to connect your LOC lead or EeRS Projects team.

 

Ophthalmology secondary care providers have many different systems. Will they be able to receive e-communications via EeRS and view images and OCT data easily?

Our secondary care providers are adopting Cinapsis currently via the web-based platform, where referrals and images can be viewed easily online. Work is underway to support integration into existing patient management systems in the meantime, Cinapsis supports integration into the national electronic Referral Service (eRS) as well as the download of referrals/images for manual upload into patient management systems.

 

I work as a locum: will I be able to use the system? 

Locums should have access to EeRS via the Cinapsis system in the practice in which they are working, in the same way as resident Optometrists at the practice.

As currently, practices should welcome and facilitate locums including sharing details of local referral protocols and following up on patients they have referred when they were working in the practice, as part of good clinical governance.

 

How will the current enhanced community services: Minor Eye Conditions Service (MECS), Glaucoma Repeat Measures, Pre and Post cataract pathways be affected?  

All current enhanced community services in Derbyshire will remain in place. The EeRS project does not affect these services. Continue to use the Opera portal for the provision of enhanced community services.

 

The most relevant FAQs above have been sourced from the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) website. The full list is available here:

Electronic Eyecare Referral Systems in England

 

Cinapsis video demonstrating their system can be found here or by clicking this link: https://cinapsissurvey.typeform.com/to/cNhCRPZ5.

(You will need to provide basic information before gaining access to the video).

 

 

 

22/5/23 Please see the link below which you will need to go through an register on to give you the password access to the introduction video for Cinapsis.  Please note that generated passwords are unique to you.  This is only to see the intro video, but it will give you a good idea of how the Cinapsis product works form both the optom side and the secondary care side. Cinapsis video demonstrating their system can be found here . This is a great chance to start familiarising yourself with EeRS.  There will be lots more information about the system and how to access it and lots of support including F2F for anyone requesting it. Please don’t hesitate to give your feedback and ask questions.

1/6/23 We are excited to share that EeRS is launching in the Midlands.  Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire have been selected as ‘Early Adopter’ regions, which go-live proposed by end of June.

We appreciate there is varied levels of awareness on EeRS amongst performers and contractors in Derbyshire. The LOC is here to support you all through this transition to EeRS in the coming month.

• Please find attached the ‘EeRS Midlands update May 2023’ PowerPoint slides
• Please see below for FAQs on EeRS

Key action for ALL Practice owners/ managers: 

Please complete this brief questionnaire, by Friday 9^th June

• Click the link here:  https://forms.office.com/e/VpJq06RMgv
• Or scan the QR/barcode attached on your smartphone

The above questionnaire is essential for you to complete, so that we can capture your practice’s current IT status and thus provide you the most efficient support in getting your practice up and running with EeRS. 

An important note is that you have to ensure your practices are DSPT compliant and have a EeRS lead who can sign an information governance agreement – we will be organising a zoom evening to work through how to do this very soon!! Please keep an eye on your inboxes for this!

Frequently Asked Questions  

What is EeRS? 

EeRS stands for Electric Eyecare Referral System.

This is shorthand for a secure, electronic system for the two-way transfer of patient and clinical data (including images and OCT scans) between eye care services.

What are the benefits of EeRS over the current online/paper GOS 18 referrals via post?

• Electronic referrals will be faster and more reliable
• Will allow attachment of any relevant images and OCT scans, enhancing quality of referrals
• Will allow direct referral to Ophthalmology, notifying the GP automatically
• Will allow overview for Optometrists of patient’s position in their referral journey (where the patient is in the queue)
• Will allow feedback for Optometrists from Ophthalmology department (woohoo!!)
• Will integrate and work with existing referral centres such as Wheatbridge, the GP and Independent Sector Providers (e.g. Spa Medica), and (hopefully) link in with OPERA and consultant connect too (tbc)

What types of referrals are to be included in EeRS? 

• All referrals following on from a Sight test (GOS or private)

 What IT equipment is required in my practice?  

The Cinapsis EeRS system operates through your practice computer and uses a website hosted on the cloud (this means no software installation is required). You will require:

• Internet connected computer running Windows 10 (generally 2018 or newer)
• Memory: 4GB or more, Hard drive space: 500Mb or more available, Processor: 1.5Ghz or above.

 What will happen in areas of poor broadband IT connectivity? 

Where broadband is non-existent, this will be an issue.

However, there is simply a temporary breakdown, the aim is for the system to have a ‘holding facility’, which will allow referrals to be stored and sent securely when internet connection is restored.

 Who has been commissioned to provide EeRS in the Midlands? 

MonMedical, trading as Cinapsis

Who is leading the project and who is responsible for its success? 

NHS England and NHS Improvement are responsible for delivering the National Eye Care Recovery and Transformation Programme, of which EeRS is a part.

NHS England Regions have a leading role in EeRS adoption, alongside ICBs.

What is the role of Derbyshire LOC? 

Funding has been made available for the 16 Midlands LOCs to support the roll out of EeRS in their respective counties.

The Derbyshire LOC will:

• Support practices with enrolment onto the EeRS
• Help answer any questions or concerns practitioners have on EeRS

The EeRS leads are all familiar faces to you from the LOC committee (Liz Jackson, Allissa Charlesworth and Anish Mistry). Not only this, but we have a dedicated digital colleague from the ICB – Nicola Lakin, who is there for the technical stuff (Nicola.lakin@nhs.net or 07799 637789).

Who is providing training on how to use the new EeRS platform? 

The commissioned provider, Cinapsis, will be providing online training and familiarisation material for Optometry practices on how to use their EeRS platform.

Ophthalmology departments have many different IT systems. Will they be able to receive e-communications via EeRS and view agreed images and OCT data easily? 

Our colleagues at the trusts are working on also adopting Cinapsis and integrating into existing systems to allow ophthalmology colleagues to view the images and scans that will be uploaded by Optometrists.

I work as a locum: will I be able to use the system? 

Locums should have access to EeRS via the Cinapsis system in the practice in which they are working, in the same way as resident Optometrists at the practice.

As currently, practices should welcome and facilitate locums including sharing details of local referral protocols and following up on patients they have referred when they were working in the practice, as part of good clinical governance.

How will the current MECS, Glaucoma Repeat Measures, Pre and Post cataract pathways be affected?  

All current enhanced services in Derbyshire will remain in place. The EeRS project does not affect these services.

The most relevant Q&S above have been sourced from the ABDO website. The full list is available here:

https://www.abdo.org.uk/dashboard/clinical-hub/extended-services/eers/

Cinapsis video demonstrating their system can be found here or by clicking this link: https://cinapsissurvey.typeform.com/to/cNhCRPZ5.

(You will need to provide basic information before gaining access to the video).

****** EeRS Update for Practices May 2023