Important Update for Glaucoma Practices
| May 2026 |
| As you will be aware, the Eye Care Navigation Service is launching across Lancashire and South Cumbria. This is a key development in improving patient access and ensuring patients are directed to the most appropriate pathways. What this means for your practice Following launch, practices delivering the Glaucoma Enhanced Case Finding Service (GERS) may experience an increase in patient activity, as more patients are navigated into community-based services. To support safe and effective management of this activity, it is essential that practices have clear administrative processes in place. Clinical Dashboard – Action Required Practices are advised to implement a routine administrative procedure to ensure the Clinical Dashboard is checked regularly. This should be: At least weekly as a minimum, and Daily for busier practices or those experiencing higher volumes of activity Regular monitoring of the dashboard will help ensure: Patients are reviewed and booked in a timely manner Referrals and episodes are not missed Any required actions are completed promptly, including Community Urgent Eyecare Service (CUES), Post-operative Cataract, Low Vision and GOS18 referrals returned via the Eye Care Navigation Service. To support this, practices may wish to implement a local Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to ensure the OPERA dashboard is checked routinely and consistently, with clear responsibility assigned within the team. GERS Patient Timeframes As a reminder, practices delivering GERS are required to ensure that all patients referred for a GERS assessment are offered an appointments within four weeks of receipt of referral. Maintaining this standard is essential to support timely patient care and service quality. Supporting a smooth launch By maintaining regular oversight of your dashboard and ensuring robust processes are in place, you will play a vital role in: Supporting timely patient care Maintaining service standards Ensuring the success of the Eye Care Navigation Service locally If you have any questions or require further support, please contact us via email at hello@referral.support with ‘L&SC Eye Care Navigation Service’ in the subject header. Thank you for your continued support. Kind regards, Primary Eyecare Services |
