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Urgent and Emergency Referrals

Referring on to a hospital after CUES appointment; how to guide – here

Local direct commissioned pathway:

Fast Track WET AMD – Mid Hampshire (patients will be seen at the Winchester mobile unit)

Mid Hampshire have commissioned WET AMD services through Practice Plus Group for patients registered at specific GP practices in the area. Please do not refer patients in these GP practices to UHS, as they may be redirected to Practice Plus Group and this process could result in a delay accessing care.

Patients can be referred directly to Practice Plus Group using this Referral form, or using the practice’s normal referral template. Referrals can be emailed to: practiceplusgrp.AMD.SOUTHAMPTON@nhs.net

GP practices for the WET AMD Mid Hampshire service with Practice Plus Group:

Adelaide Medical Centre
Andover Health Centre
Charlton Hill Surgery
Shepherd’s Spring Medical Centre
St Mary’s Surgery
Gratton Surgery
Stockbridge Surgery
Two Rivers Partnership
Alresford Group Surgery
Watercress Medical Group
West Meon Surgery
Friarsgare Practice
St Clements Partnership
St Paul’s Practice
Bishop Waltham Surgery
Stokewood Surgery
Twyford Surgery
Wickham Group Surgery

Additional information: https://practiceplusgroup.com/treatments/eye-treatments/amd/

Hospital by hospital pathways:

Queen Alexandra Hospital (QAH)

Southwick Hill Road, Cosham, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO6 3LY
Main switchboard: 023 9228 6000 (Ext 3810) Eye Department: 02392 286145

Urgent Referrals

All urgent referrals, including referrals for Fast Track Wet AMD are to be emailed: pho-tr.phteyeurgentrefs@nhs.net

NB: non-urgent referrals received in this way will be returned to the referrer. When sending a copy of urgent referral to the GP for their information; please ensure this is clear on the GP copy to avoid duplicate referrals entering the system.

Emergency Referrals

Emergency cases which need seeing within 24 hours should be discussed with eye casualty via 023 9228 6162 (Bleep 1027, during working hours). If information needs to be shared, then email  pho-tr.phteyeurgentrefs@nhs.net entitled FAO EEC to ensure it is picked up by eye casualty via a secure NHS.net email account.

University Hospital Southampton (UHS)

Tremona Road, Southampton , Hampshire, SO16 6YD
Main switchboard: 023 8077 7222
Eye Department: 023 8120 5009

Eye unit secretaries can be contacted via the University of Southampton (UHS) switchboard 023 80 777222 or via extension numbers provided on UHS’ website if an appointment needs to be checked

Urgent Referrals (If the patients registered with a Southampton City GP)

Email: patientservicescentre@uhs.nhs.uk

Flag the email as Urgent and specify within the referral that it is an urgent referral so that it is forwarded to the Eye Unit.

Urgent Referrals (Patients NOT registered with a Southampton City GP)

UHS request that these urgent referrals are sent via the patient’s GP
Eye unit secretaries can be contacted via the main switchboard 023 80777222 or via extension numbers provided on UHS’ website if an appointment needs to be checked

Fast Track WET AMD (Southampton and West Hampshire):

Email: wetam@uhs.nhs.uk (PLEASE NOTE: THERE IS NO ‘D’ IN THE EMAIL ADDRESS) This email is for suspected WET AMD only, not any other pathology. It will be checked twice a day Mon – Fri.

Urgent Non-AMD Macula Pathology eg RVO, DMO (For ALL Patients):
Post: AMD/RVO co-ordinator
Ophthalmology OC13, Mailpoint 104
Southampton Eye Unit
University Hospital Southampton
Tremona Road
Southampton, SO16 6YD

Email: If you need to send a rapid referral then you can email uhs.eyeunitadmin@nhs.net with the subject “macula rapid referral”

Phone: 023 81 20 8467 / 023 81 20 5306

Emergency Referrals (For ALL Patients)

NEW EMAIL (NOV 2023) Eye_emergency@uhs.nhs.uk

If you feel your patient needs same day assessment please do not send the patient directly to hospital. Please call the telephone triage line (023 8120 6592 option 8 for health professionals to skip the queue) who will be able to advise.

Email is monitored 7 days/week 8am-7pm

Royal Berkshire Hospital

Royal Berkshire Hospital, 3-5 Craven Rd, Reading, RG1 5LF
Eye Clinic Admin Team: 0118 322 7169 (option 5)

Rapid Access AMD

Wet AMD Rapid Access Referral Form – RBH WET AMD RAPID ACCESS REFERRAL FORM 2023
Email to Rbb-tr.amd@nhs.net

Royal Bournemouth Hospital (Part of University Hospital Dorest NHS Foundation Trust)

Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Castle Lane East, Bournemouth, BH7 7DW
Main Switchboard: 01202 303626 Eye outpatient (appointment) enquiries: 01202 704740

Urgent Referrals

Bournemouth’s Eye Emergency Department can be phoned for advice 0300 0194181. Patients are accepted by this clinic if they meet Bournemouth’s triage criteria and their symptoms are of less than two weeks in duration. If the Eye Emergency Department does not accept your patient, then the urgent referral is sent via the patient’s GP.

If your patient has a West Hampshire GP and has an urgent eye condition relating to treatment received elsewhere (e.g. a post-cataract concern), Bournemouth Eye Emergency Department will direct you to contact the patient’s surgical provider.

Patients with a West Hampshire (or Southampton) GP: Occasionally an eye condition may suitable for CUES (Community Urgent Eyecare Service). Please arrange an appointment for your patient by telephoning a participating optician practice. Practices offering CUES: https://primaryeyecare.co.uk
(Wiltshire CUES practices are not currently able to assess Hampshire patients)

CRVO / BRVO:

Urgent referral to eye outpatient department via GP

Fast Track Wet AMD:

Email: eye.unit@nhs.net

Phone: Macular Coordinator: 01202 726117 (answerphone available).

Post: AMD fast-track, The Eye Unit, Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Castle Lane East, Bournemouth, BH7 7DW

Emergency Referrals

Bournemouth will not come up as a HES referral option on OPERA as no CUES in this area, they will still accept referrals for emergencies for patients in West Hampshire, call first before emailing

Email: eyeemergency@uhd.nhs.uk
Telephone: 0300 019 60 39
Mon-Fri 08:00-18:00, Sat 08:30-18:00, Sun 08:30-14:00

St Mary’s Hospital IOW

The Eye Department, St Mary’s Hospital, Parkhurst Road, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 5TG Main Switchboard:01983 822099 Eye Department: 01983 534611 (for general enquiries)

Under no circumstances does the eye department accept ‘walk-ins’. Patients must be referred either via A&E, the Beacon Centre, an optician, or their GP

Urgent Referrals
The options are to call (Mon to Fri) 01983 534504 for the eye department direct line or call 01983 822099 and ask for the doctor on call if outside normal working hours to ask for advise. If any information needs to be send Email iownt.ophth-referrals@nhs.net (ask for a read receipt on any e-referrals to confirm action)

There is also the option of using the CUES service and referring through OPERA

Fast Track patients will be seen between 1 and 14 days. Fast track patients include those with; Ocular Tumours, Wet age related macular degeneration, Retina Detachments

Emergency Referrals
Mon to Fri call 01983 534504 for the eye department direct line or call 01983 822099 and ask for the doctor on call if outside normal working hours

The Beacon Health Centre
A GP will be available for most minor eye illnesses. You do not need an appointment, the Beacon Centre offers a walk in service 8am until 8pm, every day of the week. Outside these hours please dial 111 for assistance
At the weekends, there is NO ONE available at the eye department. Call NHS 111 for CUES for advise. The closest eye casualty is University Southampton General

Royal Hampshire County Hospital Winchester

Ophthalmology Department, Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Romsey Road, Winchester, Hampshire, SO22 5DG Main Switchboard: 01962 863535 Eye Department: 01962 825657 (administrative purposes  only)

Emergency Referrals

Email: neck@hhft.nhs.uk* (New as of MAY 2023)

Referals via email only. Mark emails are URGENT for triage purposes.

Clinic runs Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Outside of these times alternative emergency services should be sought depending on location Basingstoke or Southampton.

Andover Hospital

Charlton Rd, Andover SP10 3LB

Andover Ophthalmology department only has consultant led clinics that take place Monday – Friday. There is no emergency referral access to Andover and so emergency referrals should be directed to Winchester/Basingstoke or Southampton depending on patient location.

Basingstoke & North Hampshire

Ophthalmology Department, Eye Day Case Unit, Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Aldermaston Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG24 9NA Main Switchboard: 01256 473202

Emergency Referrals

Email: EmergencyEyes@hhft.nhs.uk
Phone: 01256 313572 Admin team: 01256 313127

If no answer is obtained: In hours – the on-call consultant should be contacted through the main hospital switchboard. Out of Hours (evenings and weekends) call Frimley Park Hospital or University Hospital Southampton.

You MUST call Basingstoke before any referral is made to their inbox. The inbox is not monitored routinely.

Fast Track WET AMD:  A wet AMD service is not available at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust therefore patients requiring urgent referral to a specialist service should be given the choice of Frimley Park NHS Foundation Trust or Practice Plus Group Southampton who provide the service from mobile units at Eastleigh or Winchester.

Frimley Park Hospital (FPH)

Frimley Park Hospital, Portsmouth Road, Frimley, GU16 7UJ

Emergency Referrals

Eye Casualty is NOT a walk in service.

Email is the preferred method of contact.  Please send a referral letter with all relevant information to fph-tr.eyecasualtyfrimley@nhs.net  via a secure email account. In addition copies of imaging are really helpful to ensure appropriate and effective triage.  Please ensure to include the patient contact details including mobile where possible and FPH will contact the patient within 24 hours.

To discuss a case with the ophthalmology team they can be reached on 0300 6136854 Monday to Friday 9am-5pm Saturday and Sunday 9am-1pm

Wet AMD:

There are two acceptable methods

1:  via the OPERA platform using the GOS18 function on there (this is the only referral allowed through the GOS18 on OPERA)

2: using the emergency email and indicating needing wet macula clinic appointment.

Email at: fph-tr.eyecasualtyfrimley@nhs.net 

Useful Information

  • Click HERE for the College of Optometrists’ Guidance on Referral Urgency
  • Click HERE for Guidance on Quality Referrals from the College of Optometrists
  • Click HERE for further information from the AOP on referrals