A regional hub has been launched to support health and care staff across the North East and North Cumbria to cope with the immense pressures of working during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this ‘hub’ is to help health and care staff – including NHS, social care, and care home staff – get support …
Continue reading “Help and Support available for ALL Optical Practice Staff”
21 December 2021
This procurement has been awarded to EMMS. In the NE&Y this has been procured for referrals into secondary care from GOS and Self-funded Sight Tests only (not for Commissioned Services). NTW LOC have been made aware that the roll out of this proof of concept project will start in the Yorkshire region. We will keep …
Continue reading “EeRS Procurement in NE&Y”
10 November 2021
Currently there are no CCG commissioned Post Cataract Community Services within NTW LOC area. Any patient presenting to your practice following cataract surgery is presenting for a GOS/Private sight test only and not a post cataract review. Practitioners are therefore only required to complete the contractual obligations of a GOS sight test. Practitioners are not …
Continue reading “Post Cataract Patients”
19 July 2021
These are now available to download from the remarks section of the website. NB the forms for both SEI and RVI have been updated. Completed forms should be emailed via NHSemail to the relevant HES.
1 May 2021
Primary Care Optical Practices have the skill set, workforce, clinical capability, equipment and, most importantly, the willingness to improve the eye health opportunity and eye health journey of our local communities. However, it needs to be recognised that Primary Care Optical Practices can no longer be expected to provide services under goodwill or through the …
Continue reading “Primary Care Optical Practice is a hugely undervalued aspect of eye health.”
4 March 2021
NTW LOC have also been made aware that some secondary care surgical providers are now conducting all post-operative care reviews via telephone consultation. Patients are presenting with post-operative forms from the surgical provider for completion by optometrists requesting information such as Vision and VA. The reporting of such information falls outside the requirements of GOS …
Continue reading “Post-Operative Cataract information”
4 March 2021
We have been notified of practitioners being requested to perform IOP checks and/or visual fields on Glaucoma/OHT patients who are under the care and review of the HES, but have had their appointments delayed due to the global pandemic. We have also been alerted to requests of imaging for these patients. These requests sit outside …
Continue reading “Requests for diagnostic testing”
4 March 2021
NTWLOC continue to work with NuTH to lobby for the commissioning of CUES and Glaucoma services across the North ICP area. The progress of this has been painfully slow with financial challenges cited as the reason for lack of progress. We remain hopeful and continue to explain the limitations of GOS and the need for an …
Continue reading “All urgent and emergency cases should be directed to EED”
4 March 2021
Optical Professionals now have access to Healthpathways Care navigation site for Health professionals for South Tyneside patients. Login details in the members-only section of this site. Sight loss support contacts are also available within the care navigation section of our website.
22 July 2020
Having lived in eight countries since the age of three, adapting to change comes naturally for Trisha Suryodiningrat-Dinsdale.
29 April 2024
Government has today announced that it has decided to impose another real-terms cut to the NHS sight test fee.
26 March 2024
Many contractors have been asking for news about fees and grants.
5 March 2024
The Health and Social Care Act 2022 has made it a requirement of all CQC regulated health and care providers that all their staff receive mandatory learning disability and autism awareness training by people with lived experience.
29 February 2024
