Important Information regarding Urgent/Emergency referrals in SEFTON
St Paul’s Eye Unit (LUFT)
We have been asked to reiterate the following message from St Paul’s eye unit regarding the nature of Emergency and Urgent Referrals.
The email inbox (liverpool.eyeemergencies@nhs.net) is there to allow community optometrists to send details of their clinical findings, in particular, fundus/OCT imaging for cases where the optometrist is requesting the patient to be seen as an emergency in the primary care clinic at LUFT. This inbox (liverpool.eyeemergencies@nhs.net) is for information only and is not monitored. The automatic email reply makes this clear to anyone using the address.
Some community optometrists have started using this email address as a referral point, on the assumption that the incoming email will be treated as a referral and that LUFT will contact the patient. This is not the case. This address is to provide supporting information only. You must still send the patient down to the Emergency Clinic and call the team to inform them of the patient’s attendance and let them know to check the email for the supporting information.
If you are referring this patient via OPERA on the back of a CUES assessment, you will note the wording on the Emergency Eye Clinic option which reminds you to call the Emergency Clinic after you have sent information through, and if your referral is coming outside of OPERA, the automatic email reply also prompts you to call.
Referrals should be made as follows:
St. Paul’s
- Emergencies – ask the patient to attend the emergency clinic at RLUH (Primary Care Clinic) and use the above email address to send supporting clinical information, you must also phone 0151 706 3949 to let us know that the patient will attend and that you have sent is clinical information by email. Please note that there will be times where the telephone line is not picked up, and in these instance, ensure you give the patient a copy of their referral and mark on this that you have attempted to call the department in advance and whether you have sent information to the email address ahead of time.
- Urgent – refer on OPERA using eGOS18
NB it is not adviseable to send urgent referrals vis GP, although all practices should now be registered with / on the OPERA portal
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- Routine – refer via OPERA using eGOS18
Aintree and St Pauls are now part of a merged trust UHLG (University Hospitals Liverpool Group) formally LUHFT. If the patient may wishes to travel to Aintree as it is closer, then consider the Aintree option
Aintree University Hospital
Please use CUES referral pathway where appropriate but when patients do not satisfy the CUES pathway requirements you can use the OARS (a bookable A&E service)
Available Monday to Friday 9-5pm outside these hours, then send to Aintree hospital casualty department.
A&E EYE Referrals
Aintree OARS (Ophthalmic Acute Referral Service)
0151-529-0186/0286
Aintree OphthalmologyTRIAGE form for OPHTHALMIC ACUTE REFERRAL SERVICE (OARS), click on link below
Download triage instruction leaflet
Please speak to the Triage nurse and they will advise on the most appropriate course of action including how to get referral letters to them
Med ret referral to UHLG (University Hospitals Liverpool Group) formally LUHFT
Referrals to be sent using opera. If you have be unable to submit images via OPERA (failed to upload or received a later request for images via the OPERA portal) you can send images via MedRetEnquiries@liverpoolft.nhs.uk
This is for thos instances where you have already taken OCT images and whish to share with the trust to facilitate referral triage / patient managemnt. Please advise if you are receiving requests for images to be sent in order to process the referral as this is unaceptable. We can use thisinformation to petition for some form of “med ret pathway”
ideally all practices should now be registered on the OPERA portal for eERS referral (Electronic GOS18) and the majority of practices are signed up for one or more of the Local enhanced serfvice pathways
For practitioners in the North of Sefton
Southport and Ormskirk Hospital Acute Referral Clinic (ARC)
Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm
Triage Line 01704 705218
Fax 01704-705229
NHS.NET Triage email address for sending patient identifiable data:
soh-tr.ophthalmology@nhs.net
5pm – 9pm Weekdays & 9am-9pm Weekends:
Contact the on-call ophthalmologist who can be contacted via main switchboard
(Southport – 01704 547 471).
Alderhey Paediatric referrals
please see the below information / guidance on referral and urgency (dependant on condition identified) to Alderhey. Although a 2022 document we have been informed it is still current