COVID-19 GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT

All information correct as per 5th August 2020

As a LOC we want to do what we can to support colleagues through this challenging time.

To assist local practitioners and contractors, we have put together guidance on patient management during the crisis brought on by the virus. If you scroll below, we have chronicled as a series of links to available guidance and resources you may find helpful as you face the challenges of the COVID crisis. We also aim to support you in every way we can, so if you want to contact us via phone or email, there are some contact details of LOC officers at the bottom of this page. Please don’t shoulder this burden on your own as if we all work together, we can emerge from this crisis stronger.

Resumption of routine NHS General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) and private eye tests

NHS England released a letter and Standard Operating procedure document on Wednesday, 17th June to outline the process for resuming GOS. The Optical Fees Negotiating Committee (OFNC) also issued an update as a result and all documents can be downloaded at the bottom of this page, along with previous documents.

We are in regular contact with our local NHS England team, so if you experience any difficulties with this and need our help, please contact us and we will do our best to assist.

The GOC, College, AOP and FODO have recently updated their guidance for provision of all eye care services.

COVID-19 Urgent Eyecare Service (CUES)

Halton and St Helens CCGs have agreed to commission CUES, to replace MECS and assist the restart of eye care. This is supported by St Helens and Warrington Eye departments and contracted through Primary Eye Care Services (PES). We are now working hard on implementation and are held a launch webinar on 16th June. We expect to launch CUES very soon and if any practice wishes to participate, or wants more details, please contact us.

We have had meetings with Warrington CCGs as well as Warrington eye department to discuss CUES and talks have been very encouraging. We will keep you informed of any progress.

Unfortunately, talks with Knowsley CCG have currently stalled and so we are still awaiting their decision on whether they will commission CUES. You can download a leaflet you may wish to hand to patients at the bottom of this page, including details of how they can complain if unhappy with this decision.

Please see below for updated guidance on managing patients where CUES will be commissioned and where it won’t be yet. Information regarding direct referrals to our local HES, St Helens and Warrington can be accessed on this site at: http://www.centralmerseyloc.org/direct-referral/

PPE

We are expecting to take delivery of PPE from LOCSU very soon and so will be able to provide further free stock to practices in due course. Keith Willaims will be in touch with the practices to arrange distribution when he has received it.

Primary Eye Care Services and LOCSU have developed a site for all English practices to purchase suitable PPE to enable them to carry out face to face examinations.  NB You do not have to be participating in Primary Eye Care to obtain the PPE from this source.

The site can be accessed at:
https://primaryeyecaresupplies.co.uk/

Management of urgent & emergency patients without CUES

Please note guidance document below

Patient Management where CUES is being commissioned

Please note guidance document below

USEFUL WEB RESOURCES