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 GOS18 via the GP, who will refer on the GP’s ERS – this is checked daily and if the GP is in any doubt about urgency then they can request “advice and guidance”.
NB whilst this request has come specifically from St Pauls, it does rely on the GP receiving and actioning the referral in an appropriate time scale. It would perhaps be advisable to ensure that the Urgency of the referral is clearly indicated and that you have some method of ensuring the referral has been received (e.g. NHS.net delivery report/read receipt) and actioned.
- Routine – refer via GOS18 to the GP who will refer on ERS
- Possible neovascular age-related macular degeneration or other choroidal neovascularisation – refer via AMDUrgentReferrals@rlbuht.nhs.uk
or use the OPERA option
[ROYAL LIVERPOOL FOUNDATION TRUST – WET AMD] if referring on OPERA Following a CUES appointment.
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
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
Referrals via Aintree Ophthalmology Secretaries (Previously WET AMD etc.)
Please be aware that the fax machine for Aintree Ophthalmology secretaries 0151-529-0139 is currently not working and whilst the problem has been escalated, it may not get fixed due to the NHS Fax switch off that was supposed to be complete 30th March 2020. Due to the lack of an alternative referral option, Aintree Hospital kindly agreed to keep the fax service going as long as possible.
After discussions with LUFT we have been given the following alternative referral route:
Referrals should be emailed to
where they can be put onto the EPOC system for direct review by consultant rather than going via the secretaries. Please feel free to contact secretaries with any queries which may arise initially.
This is a temporary measure until the commissioned eERS service is fully implemented.
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).