Community optometrists can now send referrals directly to a new Single Point of Access (SPoA), which routes them to the patient’s preferred hospital for triage and management.
This new pathway will improve referral processing and reduce patient journey time from point of referral to hospital appointment. The Single Point of Access facilitates service innovations including centralised triaging, the launch of an advice and guidance service, the provision of targeted optometrist education and referral feedback, and dynamic digital modelling, to improve access to hospital resources.
Our Single Point of Access for eyecare referrals from optometry is now live in North Central London and parts of North East London. The service accepts non-emergency referrals from optometrists, and ensures that those referrals get to a suitable ophthalmology provider as quickly as possible. The Single Point of Access is a true collaboration between hospitals, optometry, and integrated care system. We have been awarded “eyecare accelerator status” by NHS England reflecting our desire to design clinical pathways that are future-ready.
We see the referral process as a key opportunity to improve patient experience and develop a closer relationship between all professionals and organisations delivering eyecare to our patients. We are developing new services, generating actionable insights from our data to improve performance, and engaging with our referrer community through regular CPD-accredited education session.
Service Hours: Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm
Please see contact details for each area below:
Please send your referral form (GOS 18 or equivalent) electronically to:
please note this mailbox is monitored Monday to Friday 8am-6pm
Please do not use this pathway for the following:
Please use the SPoA contact blocks at the bottom of the page.
You will receive an automatic email receipt if you have an nhs.net email. There is no such facility if you use Evonnect.
If you have a secure nhs.net address, you will receive an email, confirming submission of your referral, with a clinical summary attached. The GP will be copied in.
If you do not have a secure nhs.net address, you will receive an email confirming submission of your referral, but we will not be able to attach the clinical summary. The GP will be notified separately.
Here’s a reminder on how to set up an nhs.net account https://support.nhs.net/knowledge-base/registering-optometrists/
Optometrists have a duty to notify the GP when referring a patient, however the SPoA will forward the clinical summary, generated by eRS on referral submission, to the GP.
This will happen irrespective of whether an nhs.net address has been used or not.
Your patient will receive an ‘appointment request letter’ as confirmation that their referral has been submitted to eRS.
Details of the confirmed hospital appointment will be sent out in due course from the hospital.
In the unlikely event that the GOS 18/equivalent proforma is not attached or essential information necessary to process the referral is missing, we will email you or your practice within 3 days of receiving the referral.
If required we will chase this up, with a phone call within 7 days of receiving the referral.
This pathway processes eye referrals only. If you would like your px to have other supplementary tests, e.g., blood tests, in addition to being referred to the Hospital Eye Service (HES), please email the eye referral via this pathway AND also contact the GP separately (stressing that the GP does not need to generate a referral to HE
Please contact the relevant EyeAdmin inbox:
Please note this is for administrative queries only- please do not use this inbox for referrals.
The Single Point of Access does not process Suspected WET AMD referrals. Please see the WET AMD Performas below and email to the appropriate site:
It is no longer compulsory for GP practices to accept optometry and ophthalmology referrals. Community optometrists are encouraged to refer directly into the SPoA using the correct form and information.
GOS 18/equivalent proforma checklist