Mid & South Bucks (Bucks CCG)
Information updated in September 2020
The information below relates to routine referrals for patients with a GP in the Bucks CCG area. Please also see our urgent & emergency services page.
(If you’re unsure which CCG area applies, check the lists available here.)
All routine referrals, except for cataract and IOP refinement (see below), should be emailed to Operose Health (formerly The Practice: Ophthalmology). The email address for routine referrals (only from another nhs.net address) is [email protected]. During the coronavirus pandemic, cases will be dealt with initially by telephone assessment.
Operose Health may be contacted by email: [email protected] for general queries (no patient data). Patient-specific queries may be sent (only from another nhs.net address) to [email protected] or [email protected].
Remember that you should only email your referrals from an address ending in @nhs.net. Every health professional is personally responsible for protecting patient data, and referrals sent from other email addresses will not be secure. If your practice doesn’t have an nhs.net email address, please check our website here for information on how to get one.
For more detailed local information on referral pathways in Mid & South Bucks, please download the Eyecare Pathways Mid & South Bucks document from this page. The latest version was posted in September 2020, and this should be displayed in every consulting room. Please also refer regularly to other information on this page, and look out for email updates.
Direct cataract referral scheme
Cataract referral for any patient with a GP in the Buckinghamshire CCG area should only be made on the direct cataract referral form (download from this page) by an optometrist accredited to do so. Optometrists not accredited should refer to an accredited colleague. For information on how to gain accreditation, download the document from this page. Please refer also to the most recent cataract referrals threshold document, issued by Bucks PCT in October 2011, but reviewed and approved by BHT in 2019.
Direct cataract referral forms may now be emailed to Stoke Mandeville Hospital: [email protected] (only from an nhs.net account).
During the pandemic, waiting times are likely to be very long, and patients should be advised accordingly. Alternatively, patients may exercise their right of choice, and be seen outside the area. The NHS website has a search tool which can provide current waiting times for local service providers. Bucks CCG has confirmed (October 2020) that you may send the direct cataract referral form to an alternative NHS provider and invoice Bucks CCG in the usual way (see below).
Invoices for direct cataract referrals must be sent to Wakefield and addressed to Bucks CCG. A template invoice is available to download from this page. Please note that invoices should not contain any information which could identify the patient, eg NHS number, but should include the GP practice code, which usually begins with the letter K (eg for Amersham Health Centre it is K82004). A list of CCG GP member practices with their practice codes is also available for download. Invoices should be sent on a monthly basis, and not saved up to be sent in batches.
Glaucoma
Following NICE guideline NG81 (November 2017) ophthalmologists working in Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust agreed the following:
- Patients should now be referred to Operose Health on IOP >= 24 mm Hg (instead of the previous threshold of >21 mm Hg), in the absence of any other signs.
(The Bucks IOP repeat readings scheme ceased in October 2020.)