Lister Urgent Eye, Post Cat Schemes, Measles, CPD, PCSE, LOCSU And FODO News

26 June 2023

We have 7 items for you today:

1. Update on Lister’s Urgent Eye Clinic email referral system
   
   Lister have issued the following update:
   At the recent Lister Ophthalmology management meeting, the success of introducing the Urgent Eye Referral by email in February 2023 was discussed. The number of eye walk-ins to the Emergency Department has reduced by 50% or more – it used to be on average 50 per day so this has been a significant reduction.
    
   The advantage to the patient is that they can be booked into the correct clinic for their initial visit rather than being seen in Urgent Eye and then having to come back to the correct clinic on another day.
    
   In view of the success of this new referral pathway, the department is aiming to become a ‘referral only’ service from Sept 2023 for both Optometrists and GPs.
    
   Further details on the new system will be cascaded as they are confirmed.
    
   For now, please continue to email your urgent referrals to: enh-tr.urgenteyereferral@nhs.net
2. Post Cataract Schemes in Herts
   Following recent enquiries about which Post Cat schemes run in the different parts of Hertfordshire, we wanted to share the following information from our Chair, Jane:

   South & West Herts (Formerly Herts Valleys) have a provider called CHEC who do a lot of cataract surgery for this part of Herts. The Optoms will need to contact engagement@chec.uk to become an accredited practitioner. The current requirements are:
   For any optometrist who intends to carry out post-op assessments, CHEC would require:
   1) Their GOC number
   2) One form of Photo ID (Copy of Passport/Driving license)
   3) Copy of any WOPEC certification (please visit www.wopec.co.uk) or other relevant certification/accreditation that allows them to do post-cats (i.e. have previously carried out post-ops for e.g. Moorfields).

   For East & North Herts, there are currently no post cataract schemes for patients seen in the hospitals. However, CHEC have just opened a new site in Stevenage and have been commissioned by the ICB to do cataract surgery only so they will also be running a post-cat scheme for which Optoms can become accredited, as above.

   Moorfields Eye Hospital has an outreach at both Potters Bar Community hospital and at Bedford Hospital South Wing. They both run a Shared Care Cataract Scheme for uncomplicated cataract patients for which you need to be accredited in order to refer your patients to them directly.
   The details of both can found at the bottom of this email, together with the accreditation dates and contact information. This information was also sent on a recent newsletter of ours regarding accreditation.

   Obviously, there are other providers in Herts such as SpaMedica and Optegra but you would need to contact them directly to become part of their post cat scheme.

   Addenbrookes (Cambridge University Hospital Trust) also run a Post Cataract Scheme. For further details, please contact Cambs & Peterborough LOC: https://www.loc-online.co.uk/cambridgeshire-loc/about/cambridgeshire-loc/

3. Herts and West Essex ICB Update including “Measles on the Rise”
   
   HWE ICB have issued an update HERE, which includes information about an increase in measles cases. One of the main early symptoms can be red, sore, watery eyes. Further information can be found at the NHS website, HERE. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (https://www.aao.org) say: “Redness and watery eyes from conjunctivitis occur in nearly all measles patients. This type of pink eye usually develops early on in the disease and is a hallmark symptom along with fever, cough and a runny nose, often occurring before the telltale rash.”
4. CPD Event at Luton & Dunstable (L&D) University Hospital Thursday 8th June 
   They advise: 
   “The Eye Department at Luton & Dunstable (L&D) University Hospital would like to invite local Optometrists to attend a teaching session, in person (with 1 Interactive CPD point- TBC) on Glaucoma.
    
   The following areas will be covered:
    
   • Glaucoma Referrals – analysis of content and identifying optimal referrals.
   • Description of Getting It Right First Time and the new Luton and Dunstable Glaucoma Pathway and how this pathway has supported the delivery of evidence-based medicine.
   • Introducing the outcomes of a pilot new referral filtering pathway for glaucoma referrals.
   • Direct Access Glaucoma Referrals (DAGR): rationale and criteria for pilot, initial outcomes and learning from pilot.
   • Optic disc OCT diagnostics: basic principles & examples. The interpretation of optic disc OCT diagnostics to optimise new referrals glaucoma referrals to the hospital eye service.
   • ZAP and LIGHT studies – evidence-based medicine, including Primary Angle Closure Suspect PLUS criteria.
    
   Those wishing to attend our event are requested to sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/637976754647
    
   The presentations and the discussion will be overseen by Ms Lydia Chang, Consultant lead of the Glaucoma service at L&D.
    
   Event starts at 6pm with some light refreshments sponsored by Thea Pharmaceuticals. Kerry Campbell, our local Thea representative, will give a short presentation on Thea’s glaucoma and dry eye range of products. The event will take place on the ground floor at COMET within the L&D.
    
   For any queries regarding this event, please do not hesitate to contact myself or Bridget Comiskey. Please do share this event details with fellow colleagues.  
    
   Look forward to seeing many of you at the event.
   Regards,
    
   M. Akil Kanani MCOptom Prof Cert Glauc, Dip Tp (IP)
   IP Optometrist
   Ophthalmology – L&D”
5. PCSE Online issues
   They advise:
   “We would like to provide you with an important update regarding the intermittent issues with PSCE Online.

   We know that many Ophthalmic Practices using PCSE Online for GOS claims are affected by access and performance issues, including searching for claims and signature capture. Practices using a PMS/eGOS should see their system performing as expected.

   Our IT and technical teams continue to prioritise resolution. In the past week, we have installed additional server capacity and carried out system updates to improve performance and system access. Practices will see a general improvement in performance moving forward, however, there is still work to be done and we will keep you updated.”

   Their full update, including further information on submitting claims during this period, domiciliary claims, and signature capture can be found HERE.

6. LOCSU News
   
   Can be found HERE, including Optometry First approach ‘finds favour’ with eye care audience in European conference, LOCSU Forward Plan and CPD opportunities in June.
7. FODO News
   Is HERE, including NHS networks and the Optician report on Principles and priorities for primary eye care, College of Optometrists has provided oral evidence to the House of Lords, World Council of Optometry publishes new tool to help diagnose and treat dry eye and How AI can classify retinal vascular diseases.

Kind regards

Herts LOC
 

Moorfields at Potters Bar and Bedford Shared Care Cataract Scheme

Here are the details for Potters Bar, sent to us by the Principal Optometrist, Janice Oster:
“Moorfields Eye Hospital has an outreach at Potters Bar Community Hospital which have been running a Shared Care Cataract Scheme for uncomplicated cataract patients for several years. In order to become accredited, you need to be qualified for more than 2 years, work regularly in one practice (not a locum) and be comfortable using the Volk indirect ophthalmoscope.  Training would be provided which involves attending a face to face session at the hospital and attendance to the annual re-accreditation meeting.
 
If you would like to know more about the scheme and how to become accredited, please contact Janice Oster, Principal Optometrist at Potters Bar on the following email: j.oster@nhs.net
 

Bedford Hospital South Wing:

The following information has been taken from the Bedfordshire Hospital’s NHS site:
“We now also operate a Shared Pathway Cataract Scheme whereby patients are reviewed and given detail on surgery by their local optometrists. The optometrists then ask us to put the patient on the waiting list for their cataract surgery and we offer a nurse pre-operative assessment one month prior to the surgery date. This has recently been introduced to try and make the patient pathway in this service smoother.”

For further information please contact Rachel Thomas, Principal Optometrist at Rachel.Thomas@bedfordhospital.nhs.net