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Patients in north central London are benefitting from wider choice of treatment location and shorter waiting time thanks to a new ophthalmology initiative.

The single point of access (SPoA) referral system means community optometrists can route patients directly to their preferred hospital for management following triage by the team. The system includes an advice and guidance service, targeted optometrist education and referral feedback, and digital modelling to improve access to hospital resources.

The service is a collaborative venture between the Royal Free London ophthalmology team, Moorfields Eye Hospital and the North Central London Integrated Care System. It accepts non-emergency referrals from optometrists, and ensures that those referrals get to a suitable ophthalmology provider as quickly as possible.

“We have already processed over 24,000 patient referrals and reduced processing time from 11 days to just two hours,” said Radhika Rampat, consultant ophthalmologist at the RFL.

“40% of referrals are being redirected to the right service and over half are being de-escalated from urgent. The feedback from all stakeholders including optometrists, clinicians and patients is overwhelmingly positive.

“I’m more excited about the snowball effect of what we are achieving due to a transparent collaboration. Co-leading with Pete Thomas, director of digital development at Moorfields Eye Hospital​ and team has been inspirational – how all true partnerships should be.”

The SPoA also frees up time for GP practices who are no longer required to forward ophthalmic referrals, with patients’ referrals instead reviewed by a principal optometrist directing them to the right service first time.

The service was recently highly commended at the HSJ Patient Safety Awards for the best use of care and partnership working and has also been shortlisted for the HSJ Acute Sector Innovation of the year 2024.

Rohit Jolly, consultant ophthalmic surgeon and clinical service lead for ophthalmology at the RFL, said:

“The single point of access initiative has brought together digital platforms, patient choice, high quality teaching and better working relationships to improve the patient experience. We will continue to build upon our successes and champion the highest standards of care for our patients.

“We are extremely proud of the successes our service has achieved over the years, from the setting up of a highly successful NCL surgical hub and winning a national award with regards to our efficiencies and working in a more sustainable manner. Now we are collaborating better as a network to ensure that patients are getting the care they deserve, in a timely manner and as close to where they live as possible.”