We’re pleased to confirm that Phase 1 of the Lancashire and South Cumbria Eye Care Navigation Service (ECNS) is now live as of this morning, Monday, 1st June 2026.
This introduces a single point of access for ophthalmology referrals, providing clinical triage, improved pathway consistency and better support for patient choice across the system.
What this means for your practice
From today, all eligible referrals submitted via the IT platform, OPERA will now be:
- Clinically triaged by an optometrist-led team
- Directed to the most appropriate pathway, including:
- Secondary care ophthalmology
- Community enhanced optometry services (e.g. Community Urgent Eyecare Services (CUES))
- Supported by centralised patient choice, where applicable.
- Please remember that the referred patient’s GP locality determines which phase they belong to, not the location of the referring practice.
Key reminders and actions
1. Continue referring as usual via the IT platform, OPERA
- Submit referrals through the IT platform, OPERA, in line with current processes
- The Triage team will manage triage and onward routing
2. Regularly check your OPERA dashboard
- Monitor for:
- Internal referrals
- Returned referrals (e.g. where additional information is required)
- Action any requests promptly to avoid delays
3. Manage patient expectations
Patient choice is now a key step
- Patients may receive a text message or letter inviting them to choose a provider
- Referrals will not progress until a choice is made
- Please make patients aware of this at the point of referral
4. Continue to refer directly where required
- Referrals for commissioned community services(e.g. Low Vision, GERS) should still be sent directly to an appropriate provider
5. Be aware of triage outcomes
Referrals may be:
- Sent to secondary care
- Redirected to a community service (e.g. CUES)
- Returned for further information
Support available
For any support, Primary Eyecare Services has a dedicated service support team which is on hand to support. The team is available Monday-Friday, 9AM to 5PM. If you need help, please email hello@referral.support with ‘Lancs & South Cumbria Eye Care Navigation Service’ in the subject header, and the service team will assist.
You can also find more via our help page here.
Looking ahead
Phase 2 of the service is scheduled to go live on 29th June 2026, with further updates to follow.
If you have any questions or need support, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Thank you for your continued support in delivering high-quality patient care across Lancashire and South Cumbria.
Kind regards,
Primary Eyecare Services
