| May 2026 |
| From June, the Lancashire and South Cumbria Eye Care Navigation Service (ECNS) is launching, introducing a new referral endpoint for routine GOS18 referrals on the IT platform, OPERA. What’s changing? Routine GOS18 referrals Select: “ROUTINE GOS18 REFERRALS ECNS – LANCS AND SC – NOT FOR CUES OR GERS” in OPERA Choosing any other routine endpoint will also automatically be redirected into ECNS for clinical triage Urgent GOS18 referrals Continue selecting a specific provider endpoint as usual These will be automatically redirected into ECNS for clinical triage Emergency referrals No change – continue to use existing local emergency pathways Please note: Blackpool Victoria Emergency referrals will no longer be under urgent and will have moved to the emergency eye clinic option Referrals for community services (e.g. CUES, GERS, Low Vision Service). No change – continue referring to a named provider after a no choice conversation Children’s referrals – Please choose named providers as normal (Blackpool and Fylde and Wyre Practices will note new endpoints for these). What is Eye Care Navigation? Referrals are clinically triaged by an experienced optometry team Patients are redirected to the most appropriate service (primary care, enhanced services or HES) Routine adult patients receive patient choice via SMS or letter What this means for your practice Better patient routing – getting patients to the right service first time Improved referral quality – incomplete referrals may be returned Changes in activity: More patients may be directed into local services (e.g. CUES/GERS) You may see changes in referral volumes/booking activity Key action Use the new ECNS endpoint for all routine GOS18 referrals Ensure mobile numbers are included and up-to-date Continue to follow existing emergency pathways If you need support or have any questions, please contact us via email at hello@referral.support with ‘L&SC Eye Care Navigation Service’ in the subject header. Kind regards, Primary Eyecare Services |
