News

Change of Email Address for GHNHSFT Ophthalmology Referrals – Starts September 12th
August 2022

From Monday 12th September there is a change of email address for Ophthalmology referrals to Gloucestershire Hospitals NHSFT.

Previously Ophthalmology referrals have been sent through to the Ophthalmology booking email address  ghn-tr.ophthalmologyappts@nhs.net but now please refer to ghn-tr.cboreferrals@nhs.net if not referring via the GP. 

This website will be updated on 12th September to reflect this change.

August LOC Newsletter
August 2022

The August LOC Newsletter is now available. It features updates on cataract surgery waiting times, countywide rollout of the Community Ophthalmic Link, details of application for funding for Higher Qualifications and a variety of other useful information.

Read the newsletter here

Community Ophthalmic Link (COL) Countywide Roll-out
August 2022

Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Gloucestershire Hospital Eye Services (HES)  and the LOC have partnered with Blueworks Ophthalmic Imaging Management Solutions to develop and implement the Community Ophthalmic Link (COL) project. OphthalSuite technology allows community optometrists to securely view a patient’s secondary care eye health records held by Gloucestershire NHSFT in real time. A pilot project has demonstrated the benefit of this for improving decision-making around referrals and general patient management.

The COL is now ready for rollout countywide. Please see our dedicated page here for more details.

We encourage your practice to join to access the benefits that the COL can bring for your patient management.

 

Newmedica Bristol Aztec West Clinic Opening Soon
June 2022

Newmedica Bristol Aztec West is opening on the 27th June 2022. Practitioners accredited to deliver services to existing Newmedica clinics in Gloucestershire do not need to obtain further accreditation to refer to the new clinic. For more information see here

Making Accurate Claims in England 2022
May 2022

The AOP, supported by ABDO and FODO, have produced a new in-depth guide to support members providing or performing GOS. This comprehensive reference tool, available here will help you navigate through the fees and claims process in England.

10th May 2022 – Move from Covid-19 Amber to Green Phase
May 2022

On Tuesday 10 May each of the four nations in the UK will be moving from the amber to the green phase of The College of Optometrists’ COVID-19 classification system. This phase sees us enter a ‘new normal’ and incorporates the good practice established over the past two years to ensure patient and public safety. ‘Living with COVID-19’, the Government’s current strategy, does not mean a return to practice and business as it was before the pandemic. 

For more information see the College of Optometrists website here

New VCHP Clinic Opens in Gloucester
May 2022

The new Vision Care for Homeless People clinic opened in Gloucester on 24th April. Originally planned to open in Autumn 2021 the clinic now runs from the Gloucester City Mission on Mondays, providing sight tests, eye care and spectacles to the homeless. The clinic is run by volunteers. If you would like to volunteer please get in touch with the charity’s new volunteer operations manager, Helen Harms. More information and contact details are available here and here

Indicative Cataract Surgery Wait Times – February 2022
February 2022
Latest information on cataract surgery waiting times in Gloucestershire is available here  and from the Cataract page of our website here
 
These times are supplied by the providers as indicative and may not be a guarantee that patients will be seen exactly in that time scale. Please note that the LOC is not responsible for the accuracy of these times. If you become aware of significant and sustained discrepancies in the referral times compared to the provided information, please do let us know.
General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) Contract – Quality in Optometry (QiO) Submission due by 31st March 2022
January 2022

Your LOC have received the following reminder for contractors from NHSE Optometry SouthWest.

It is a national contractual requirement that GOS contractors complete and submit a Quality in Optometry (QiO) GOS contract compliance checklist once every 3 years.  This level is used by NHS England local offices for the purposes of checking and monitoring contract compliance. If you have not already completed your Quality in Optometry 2019-2022 submission can you please go the QiO website and follow the guidelines below:

  • The GOS contract checklist and details of how to complete it can be found on the Quality in Optometry website at http://www.qualityinoptometry.co.uk/
  • When completing the checklist please ensure that you select the correct CCG area where you provide Mandatory services.  For Additional contractors please select the CCG area where you provide the majority of your GOS work
  • The NHS Regional Team to select is South West.

Should you have any technical difficulties or other issues when completing the checklist please email us via our generic email address  england.optometrysouthwest@nhs.net

Please ensure you complete your submission by the deadline of 31 March 2022.

 

Fax Referral for Wet AMD No Longer Available
January 2022

We have received confirmation that fax referral to the Wet AMD clinic is no longer available. We hope that the majority of you now use secure nhs.net referral to ghn-tr.AMDteam@nhs.net . The wet AMD referral form has been updated to version 6.4 to reflect this change and is available here or the electronic version here.

We are aware that some practitioners, particularly locums, may not currently have an nhs.net email address. You can apply for a free Egress account that allows secure email transmission via nhs.net here and we encourage you to do so if necessary.

If you have a situation where urgent wet AMD referral is indicated and you have no access to nhs.net then please telephone the ARMD Co-ordinator on 0300 4228533 to register the referral and send the form by first class post as soon as possible.