Enhanced Services – North Essex

If you’re a member of the public and you’re looking for a practice that provides urgent eyecare etc, please see the directory at: https://primaryeyecare.co.uk/find-a-practice/

Glaucoma Repeat Readings Service (GRR)

The aim of the service is to provide a patient focused, high quality Glaucoma Referral Service, to provide improved access to service closer to the patients home, as timely as possible and cost effective to North East Essex. The aims of the service will be to ensure that patients are seen in the most appropriate setting, whilst providing choice of provider.

The aim of a glaucoma referral refinement pathway is 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 referral refinement pathway would allow accredited optometrists to repeat diagnostic tests to confirm the risk of disease and thus improve the accuracy of referrals and deflect unnecessary referrals.

Post Operative Cataract Service (POCS)

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.

Minor Eye Conditions Service (MECS)

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.

Paediatric Service

The practices below are able to offer paediatric services.

Community Glaucoma Service (CGS) – Pilot Service

This is a pilot service