Enhanced Services – Mid & South Essex

This service aims to provide a patient focused, high quality GERS, to provide improved access to service closer to the patients home, as timely and cost effective as possible.

The service aims to reduce unnecessary referrals to the hospital eye service, reducing patient anxiety and increasing capacity within the overburdened hospital glaucoma clinics. This will provide a more cost effective service with a greater number of patients managed within the primary care setting. The repeat readings service allows accredited optometrists to repeat diagnostic tests to confirm the risk of disease and thus improve the quality of referrals and reduce unnecessary referrals.

CVDS details to follow

A Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) Pilot Service has been commissioned in Mid and South Essex (MSE). As the number of Optical Practices with the correct equipment and accredited to provide this service is small, patients currently on Southend Hospital’s waiting list will be seen in this HCQ Service. Patients, if suitable, will be placed on the service by Southend Hospital. GPs and practices cannot refer directly to this service, as all patients have to be selected by the hospital consultant first.

The service was rolled out in September 2017. The Post Operative Cataract Services enables patients to have their post operative assessment in an optical practice within their locality, at the same time as their refraction, helping avoid extra appointments and unnecessary travel to the hospital where their surgery was undertaken.

A new service, more information coming soon

The Minor Eye Conditions’ Service allows the assessment and management of recent onset minor eye conditions within the primary care setting.

The aim of the service is to use the skills of primary care optometrists to assess, manage and prioritise patients presenting with an eye condition, improving eyecare services for patients in North East Essex. Where patient referral to secondary care is required, this will be within agreed protocols to a suitable specialist with appropriate urgency.

The following symptoms can be assessed in the MECS:

• Red eye or eyelids
• Dry, gritty or uncomfortable eyes
• Eye irritation and inflammation
• A lot of recent discharge from the eye or watery eye
• Recently occurring flashes or floaters
• Painful eye
• Ingrowing lashes
• Recent and sudden loss of vision
• Foreign body in the eye

Patients can be referred or sign-posted to the service by their GP, Pharmacist, A&E or Optometrist or they can self-refer.