OPERA Practice and User Changes
8 September 2026
Primary Eye Care Services would like to remind all practices using OPERA of the importance of keeping Primary Eyecare Services informed of any changes that may affect your practice profile, service delivery, staff access or contractual arrangements.
- Practice closures
- Mergers, changes of ownership or changes in control
- ODS code changes
- Changes to practitioners, staff members or user access on OPERA
Notifying us early helps ensure that OPERA records remain accurate, patient referrals are managed appropriately, service accreditations are reviewed where required, and access to practice information remains secure and compliant.
Practice Change Forms:
Where applicable, please complete the relevant form below:
- Practice closure: Practice Closure Notification form – OPERA
- Merger or change of ownership: Change of Ownership Form – OPERA
- Change in control, where there is no ODS code change: Change in Control form – OPERA
As outlined within contractual obligations, these changes must be communicated to Primary Eyecare Services in advance. The relevant Practice Change form should be completed and returned as soon as possible so that any required updates can be reviewed and processed before the effective date of the change.
Notification Requirements:
- For practice closures, practices are required to provide Primary Eyecare Services with a minimum of 6 months’ notice.
- For ODS code changes, practices are required to provide Primary Eyecare Services with a minimum of 3 months’ notice.
- For changes of ownership and changes in control, practices should notify Primary Eyecare as soon as plans are being considered to allow sufficient time for any ODS requirements, OPERA account changes, referral transfers and service accreditation reviews to be completed before the effective date of the change.
For practice closures, closure documentation should be completed promptly when issued. We are unable to fully process a closure until the relevant information has been provided and NHS records reflect the change, where applicable. NHS profile guidance is available here.
For mergers, ownership changes and changes in control, early engagement is particularly important to allow sufficient time for any new ODS requirements, OPERA account changes, referral transfers and service accreditation reviews to be completed.
Keeping OPERA User Access up to date:
Alongside notifying us of formal practice changes, practices should also regularly review the users attached to their practice through the Practice Profile on OPERA.
Maintaining an accurate list of staff and practitioners associated with your practice supports compliance, information governance and quality assurance. It also helps ensure that only appropriate users have access to practice information and OPERA functionality.
When User Access should be reviewed or removed:
Please review OPERA access regularly and ensure access is removed when:
- A member of staff leaves the practice
- A practitioner no longer works from your site
- A practitioner’s details have changed
- A user no longer requires access to OPERA on behalf of your practice
How to remove a user from your practice profile:
To remove a member of staff or practitioner from your practice profile, please follow the guidance available here: Remove a user from optical practice – OPERA.
If you are unable to complete this directly, you can contact the Central Operations Team at hello@referral.support and we can support with removing the user on your behalf.
Keeping contact details and services up to date:
Please also ensure that your practice contact details and email preferences remain current. You can update these by following the Changing Email Preferences – OPERA guidance. You should also regularly check that the correct services are listed on your OPERA profile and use the OPERA – My Services – checking, adding and removing services guidance to add or remove services where required.
Information to provide when requesting support:
When contacting the team, please provide the following information:
- Your practice ODS code
- The name of the practitioner or staff member to be removed
- Their email address
- Their GOC code, where applicable
If your practice is considering a closure, merger, ownership transfer, change in control or ODS code change, please contact the Central Operations Team at hello@referral.support as soon as possible so we can provide the correct guidance and documentation.
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