Ophthalmology Advice & Guidance
RCHT Ophthalmology Advice and Guidance service
From 3rd January 2018 Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust will be offering an advice and guidance service on e-Referrals for general Ophthalmology queries.
GPs will be able to request consultant advice on general Ophthalmology conditions for potential referrals into secondary care. The service is to offer advice on management and treatment options for GPs to consider prior to referral with the aim of reducing the number of patients who need to be seen face to face (as set out in the GP Forward view). The CCG will be charged for the advice and guidance provided. Requests will be responded to within 2 working days.
Clinical responsibility remains with the GP until the patient is seen within secondary care.
The service is for general Ophthalmology requests and not specialised queries. Exclusions to this service include:
· Transient visual disturbances of vision - symptoms of any duration that resolve completely to normal.
· Suspected cancer referrals – these should be directed to the 2WR suspected cancer office.
· Patients who are already under the care of the RCHT Ophthalmology team.
The advice will be available for patients new to the ophthalmology service and who are not already under the care of an Ophthalmology Consultant. This is not a named clinician referral therefore if your query is regarding a patient currently under the care of a consultant please contact them directly.
Date reviewed 07/08/2019
Next review due 07/08/2020
Sifter name Dr Rebecca Harling
Contributor Mr William Westlake
Version No. 1.10