Provision of Tier 2 Community Ophthalmology Services for NHS Blackpool and NHS Fylde & Wyre CCGs

About

NHS Shared Business Services Ltd (NHS SBS) awarded a contract to Community Health and Eyecare Limited for the provision of a Tier 2 Community Ophthalmology Service on behalf of NHS Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Fylde & Wyre CCG.

The service was designed to meet the needs of service users registered with a Blackpool, Fylde or Wyre GP and resident in those areas who present with defined acute or chronic eye conditions.

Service users were referred to the intermediate service for triage, with assessment and treatment or advice provided in a single visit where possible.

The main outcomes included clinically triaging referrals to Ophthalmology Services, delivering community-based ophthalmology services for a defined range of eye problems, providing targeted assessment and follow-ups and co-management of specific chronic eye conditions within the community against agreed protocols, improving service user experience, quality of life and access, delivering high-quality eye care, ensuring referring GPs received prompt and full information about their patient's diagnosis or treatment in line with national standards, achieving a fundamental shift of care from acute providers into the community, providing service users with a choice for the management of specific eye conditions, ensuring all eligible patients were managed through the service, and reducing pressure on the hospital eye service by delivering eye care outside the hospital where possible and ensuring that those referred were appropriate and fully worked up.

The contract duration was for 3 years, intended to run from 26.03.2019 until 25.03.2022, with a contract value of £2,339,946.