Protocol for referrals into Ophthalmology

There have been recent changes in how to refer into UHL Ophthalmology – please see the attached

to help ascertain the level of urgency required for the referral. The fax machine is now offline.

Urgent referrals:

Emergency (same day referrals) – If you are sending a patient to eye casualty, please send a copy of the referral with the patient or an email. But please state clearly that you have asked the patient to attend eye casualty, otherwise we have to spend time calling them.

Eye Casualty Referral form

E-referral routes:

Routine/General Clinic referrals (greater than 2 weeks) – faxedreferrals@uhl-tr.nhs.uk
Urgent Medical Retina issues – medretuhl@uhl-tr.nhs.uk NB. routine medical retina to be sent via Routine route (Medical Retina Question pathway Doc1, Medical Retina Question pathway Doc2)
Rapid Access Clinic (urgent referrals) within 1 to 2 weeks – ophthalmleyecasualty@uhl-tr.nhs.uk
Fast-track Wet AMD referrals – medretuhl@uhl-tr.nhs.uk

Referral Form / letters

Direct Referral form

When sending referrals via email, please ensure they are either in Word or PDF format. We will not be able to accept referrals in other formats. Please include the following:

Correct patient details: name, address, DOB and phone number
A clear reason for referral and relevant clinical findings
Best Corrected Visual Acuity and up-to-date refraction result
Ensure the referral is legible when scanned from a printed sheet
Name and practice address of the referring optometrist.

Optometrists can use their own business email address if it is encrypted and is suitable for sharing patient identifiable and sensitive information. An NHS.net email account meets all of the relevant standards and is therefore the preferred method of sending referrals.

All of the above inboxes are monitored during weekday opening hours by staff and appointments are arranged depending on the level of urgency and availability.

Please note: we may change the urgency of the referral once it is assessed by our clinician.

NB. please state in your referral letter if a patient you are referring to UHL Ophthalmology dept has a language barrier and will need an interpreter.
The necessary examinations and interventions cannot be carried out if there is difficulty with communication. We have to request interpreters in advance of patients attending, as they are not available on the day at short notice.

Contact

If you want to discuss an emergency or urgent referral, please contact the eye casualty reception on 0116 258 6273.

CUES

This scheme has been discontinued.

County Hospitals

County hospitals are part of the Alliance and not UHL NHS Trust. They do not have an emergency eye service, so please follow the UHL protocols for emergency eye care.

The Alliance Community Hospitals have ophthalmology clinics which you can refer into as it will mean patients can be seen closer to home. The attached table gives email address to refer and also services covered in these community clinics:

Alliance Ophthalmology Referrals

Where is the Eye Casualty Department in UHL ?

The Eye Casualty department is based in the Windsor Eye Clinic, Windsor Building, Level 1 at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Eye Casualty Opening Hours:

Monday to Friday – 08:30 to 16:30

Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays – 8:30 to 12:30

Outside these times emergency patients can attend the main Accident and Emergency Department and will be referred to the on-call eye team if necessary.