Help Us Help You – optical sector is helping patients get urgent care when they need it
28 May 2020
The NHS Help Us Help You campaign #HelpUsHelpYou is urging the public to get care when they need it, emphasizing the role of primary care across GPs, dentistry, pharmacy and optometry.
The overall message is for patients to seek urgent care as soon as issues arise, rather than delaying due to fear of coronavirus or being a burden on the NHS and in the optical sector the use of new technology combined with increased collaboration is delivering safe and rapid consultations and treatment.
Practices around England are offering patients remote telephone or video consultation with one or more qualified optical professionals as part of the new Covid-19 Urgent Eyecare Service (CUES). Based on the findings of the consultation, next steps include patients being advised on how to manage their condition themselves, remote prescription of topical treatments such as eye drops or referral to hospital ophthalmology services if this is needed.
The use of remote consultations and video technology is innovative for the sector. It enables eyecare concerns and patient anxieties to be addressed whilst complying with public health guidance on social distancing. Improved digital connectivity is being rolled out by the NHS as part of the CUES service, and coincides with huge advances in consumer awareness and usage of video communication tools.
A further innovation is the way primary and secondary care are working together in a collaborative way to ensure the right treatment plan is delivered for each patient. Joint video consultations are being used where this will benefit the patient, saving time and giving patients the benefit of broader expertise in a single appointment, as well as removing the need for the patient to attend hospital. Alternatively, primary care professionals are sharing information such as scans with hospital ophthalmologists offline for consideration for remote referral.
Primary care providers are also working collaboratively within and across sectors to benefit patients. For example, practices are referring patients to neighbouring practices if a specific piece of equipment is needed, and in addition the sector has been working closely with GPs where this benefits patients.
Rachel Smith of Rawlings Opticians group of practices in Hampshire has recently worked in collaboration with a patient’s GP to remotely diagnose and start treating shingles, a condition that can affect the eye area and cause vision issues. After the patient reported pain and tingling on her face, she sent Rachel a photo via WhatsApp from which Rachel identified shingles and contacted the patients’ GP to arrange a prescription. This cross-sector collaboration was of great benefit to the patient; the condition was identified quickly without any face to face consultation to comply with social distancing guidelines.
This is a period of rapid change for the sector and the initial feeling is that elements of this new approach could be here to stay during the coronavirus recovery and beyond.
LOCs who wish to find out more about CUES should email info@locsu.co.uk