Local Services

February 2025 Important Update, closure of services

Effective from 1st April 2025, the Integrated Care Board (ICB) has taken the decision to decommission certain Primary Eyecare Services enhanced service contracts in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Please read the announcement – here

For all service closure dates and details please read this document – here

Webinar recording from April 2025, discussing closure of services – here

CUES (Community Urgent Eyecare Service)

CUES does NOT cease on April 1st 2025. Please continue to use CUES

CUES is a core competency and so does not require any WOPEC accreditation.

CUES is designed to limit presentations of urgent conditions to GPs, Pharmacies, NHS 111 and A&E. It covers symptoms which may indicate conditions such as retinal detachment, maculopathy, foreign body and uveitis. CUES is a symptom lead service – whilst a dry eye diagnosis might come from a CUES appointment, this service does not allow for monitoring

CUES is commissioned in :

• Southampton
• West Hampshire
• North Hampshire
• Isle of Wight

CUES service summary – here

Referring on after CUES appointment; how to guide – here

CUES Practice Provider list for Isle of Wight – here

CUES claims are processed via OPERA, and the contract is overseen by Primary Eyecare Services. Please see their website for more information – here

To see a list of practices offering CUES appointments see the Primary Eyecare Find A Practice page – here

CUES poster (November 2022 ) sent to GP practice teams across Hampshire & Isle of Wight – here

For IP Practitioners with an FP10, please find the Hampshire and Isle of Wight formulary – here

CUES is delivered OPERA. Please visit Primary Eyecare Services – here or contact Katie Atkins, Clinical Lead, PES for any support needs – Katie.Atkins@primaryeyecare.co.uk

Glaucoma Services

All community glaucoma services delivered through OPERA have been decommissioned as of 1st April 2025

Repeat Pressures and/or Visual Fields are not part of GOS and any further investigation requires referral for Ophthalmological opinion within a hospital setting

Imaging, including OCT is not mandatory in referrals. Please alert the LOC to any referral rejections requesting Repeat Pressures, Visual Fields or Imaging. The LOC can be contacted via email – manager@hampshireloc.org.uk

LOC suggested commentary when rejecting requests for additional data, such as repeat IOP, Visual Fields or Imaging as part of a glaucoma suspect referral – here

Glaucoma in Portsmouth and Fareham, Gosport and SE Hampshire

Glaucoma Monitoring is commissioned in Portsmouth and Fareham, Gosport & SE Hampshire. Patients with stable intraocular pressures and visual fields may be referred into the community for monitoring of their condition

Stable Glaucoma Service Specification for Fareham & Gosport and South Eastern Hampshire – here

Stable Glaucoma Claim Form for Fareham & Gosport and South Eastern Hampshire – here

Post – Operative Cataract Services

In April 2025, the HIOW ICB ceased to commission the Post-Operative Cataract Service pathway for HIOW Trust hospitals. This primarily affected patients from Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, St Mary’s Hospital (Isle of Wight NHS Foundation Trust), and Lymington Peripheral Clinic.

Therefore for the most of HIOW the NHS Post-Operative Cataract Services is now only available when a patient has been seen by an ISP (Independent Sector Provider). Patients are to be seen 4-6 weeks after their surgery, with the results provided to the ISP for audit.

However, Frimley Trust has commissioned its own post-op cataract service for patients who had their surgery at a Frimley Trust location. This funding is separate from any ICB. This therefore includes patients whose home address or GP surgery falls within the HIOW ICB footprint.

The Frimley Trust locations are:

• Frimley Park
• Heatherwood (Ascot)
• Wexham Park (Wexham Park)

Any patient seen for their cataract surgery at a Frimley Trust location can be seen by a practice who have signed up to provide cataract services via OPERA to provide the NHS Post-Op Cataract Service.

The practice will be paid by Primary Eye Care Services (PES) for the episode as per the usual process.

These patients will appear on the Opera dashboard for booking when they are transferred by Frimley Trust (similar to any post-ops from ISP).

For any support for Post-Op Cataract episodes using OPERA, please visit Primary Eyecare Services – here or contact Katie Atkins, Clinical Lead, PES – Katie.Atkins@primaryeyecare.co.uk

However, please do alert the LOC to any trust (other than Frimley) requesting information from an optometrist in order to complete a post-op report. The LOC can be contacted via email – manager@hampshireloc.org.uk

LOC suggested commentary when rejecting requests from Trust: – here

“Can I claim a GOS 1 alongside a Post-Op cataract assessment?”  – here

Low Vision Services

The service in Portsmouth, Fareham, Gosport & SE Hampshire was commissioned directly between the then CCG and the practices (not via PES)

Low Vision Service Specification for Fareham & Gosport and South Eastern Hampshire – here

Low Vision Claim Form for Fareham & Gosport and South Eastern Hampshire – here

There is a  commissioned service for Low Vision directly between HHFT and the following practices directly:

• Matheson’s Opticians Alresford & Grayshott
• Optimum Vision Clinic Tadley