In some outpatient clinics, you may be seen by a different team member, but your tests will always be seen by a doctor. You may be asked to see a doctor while you are with us, based on your test results.
Follow up tests or consultations may be arranged by phone or email if they are not done on your appointment day.
Patient initiated follow-up (PIFU) puts you in control of making an appointment, or getting advice, when you need it. Some patients with stable long-term conditions, or conditions which flare up from time to time, do not require frequent checks at the hospital; others can be seen less often if they can easily get in touch when their condition changes. Research has shown that frequent visits do not necessarily help to prevent your condition returning or identify new problems.
With PIFU, instead of being offered regular clinic visits and routine checkups with your consultant, you can make your own appointment only when you need it– reducing the unnecessary anxiety, travel and time spent on a routine check-up.
We are starting this type of care because:
You will be advised by your eye care team if your condition is now suitable to have your follow-ups as patient-initiated instead of, or alongside, the regular appointments scheduled by the hospital. Your eye care professional will discuss the process with you and provide you with this leaflet. Managing your appointments in this way is optional and it is your decision.
The service is quick and easy to use. If you experience a flare-up or a problem or would like to book a follow-up appointment, simply follow the link (from your introductory text or email) and indicate that you would like to initiate a follow up appointment. If you can’t find this text, you can access the DrDoctor patient portal. You can also ring the number on your last patient letter for help.
Please remember that, if an appointment is booked, it is important that you attend it. If you find you are unable to do so, please tell us in advance, so we can give your appointment to someone else who needs it.
You should call your eye care team if you are experiencing a flare-up of your condition or have a problem with your condition or medication, and need to be seen or need advice from the eye team. The text we sent you and/or your most recent eye clinic letter will highlight symptoms to look out for to help you decide when you need to contact us.
f you require very urgent medical advice you should contact your GP or NHS 111, or if you are really unwell, attend or video call our A&E. For all other concerns, or if you are feeling unwell, your GP remains your first point of contact.
This depends on whether another booked appointment has been made. If so, if you do not call back, you will be seen at the next scheduled appointment.
If you do not have a scheduled appointment, and you have not called us back within the time frame agreed with you by our clinical team, you will be discharged back to your GP and optometrist (optician). If you feel that you need further investigations, your GP will need to complete a new referral.
Some patients worry about losing contact with the hospital when they no longer need to be seen regularly by their eye care team. If you wish to go back to regular hospital appointments, tell us and we will arrange this for you.
We appreciate and encourage feedback. Please note we may be in touch in the future to ask about your experience.
If you cannot get through to your eye care team, please email us at moorfields.outpatientbookingsbc@nhs.net
Depending on your condition and the judgement of your clinical team, we may safely discharge you to the care of your GP or optician after an extended period of stability. They can quickly and easily refer you back to us again, and our nurse-led helpline on 020 7566 2345 can always offer you advice on eye conditions.
Some services may send you a digital questionnaire. This will again be via a text from 07860 039 092 or an email from DrDoctor patient portal drdoctor.co.uk
If we contact you, please complete it, answering all the questions you can. It gives us feedback on your progress and helps us to manage and improve the service.
Tell us about your symptoms and quality of life from home We’re using digital questionnaires to help us better understand your health before and after your appointments. We’ll send you a text message with a link when you have a new questionnaire to complete. These online forms ask you about your symptoms, physical health and quality of life.
How to complete your digital questionnaire
You can view and complete your questionnaires on any device by visiting drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/moorfields, logging in as usual and navigating to ‘online care’.
How can I complete my digital questionnaire on my tablet or computer?
I would like to receive email notifications, how can I do this
You can update your contact details at drdoctor.thirdparty.nhs.uk/moorfields in the settings menu.
We are using digital questionnaire to collect your feedback. You may receive one to complete before and after your appointments for:
It’s not always easy to tell your care team how you’ve been feeling over time regular monitoring of your health at home helps us:
If you cannot log in with your correct details, we probably have the wrong details for you on our system. Please contact the number on your most recent patient letter and check we have your most up to date:
Occasionally, when you try to complete a questionnaire, you might see a message in red saying that there is a problem with it. If this happens, please try again the next day and your questionnaire should be up and running. If the problem persists, please ring the number on your most recent letter.
The questions you will be asked depends on which specialty you are being seen by, but may include questions about diagnosis and treatment, pain and its management, mobility, symptoms, quality of life, daily living, social activities, well-being and other medical conditions.
If you have any queries regarding the completion of your questionnaire or any questions in relation to this work, please contact the number on your most recent patient letter.
Seek medical advice immediately if you feel unwell in any way or are concerned about your symptoms. Please contact Moorfields Eye Hospital on 0207 253 3411 for outpatient queries and eye emergency care or 999 for life threatening conditions. The form does not replace medical care.
Anonymous information (i.e. no one will be able to identify you) will be used at a future date to help us improve the quality of the services we are providing for you. It will be used to support researching how effective treatment is. By returning the electronic digital assessment form, you are consenting to your information to be used in this way. Data required to deliver this service and product developments will be shared with our service provider, DrDoctor. DrDoctor is accredited to the highest standards set by the NHS for protecting the healthcare information of UK citizens as certified here. DrDoctor’s Privacy Policy can be found at my.drdoctor.co.uk/privacy.