123,000 Direct GOS18 Referrals via Opera

6 October 2022

Opera’s GOS18 module has now been utilised via PES to support direct electronic referral for over 123,000 referrals!

The Opera GOS18 module has been a core part of the EeRS project (Electronic EyeCare Referral System). PES was successfully chosen as the provider by two geographical areas – NHS North West (3 ICB areas) and NHS Mid & South Essex. This has seen large scale deployment of Opera in practices to facilitate GOS18 referrals – both routine and urgent.

The system has enabled electronic referrals from practices to end destinations in line with the directory of service with the ability to attach images and full volumetric OCT scans. The EeRS project in the Northwest has seen an amazing 81% of practices engage with the system so far.

In addition to EeRS the GOS18 module is used by practices in a number of areas where PES facilitate triage of referrals, enabling us to enhance the offering in these areas – supporting practices and the local NHS system – by maximising direction of referrals to primary eye care services wherever appropriate and possible.

RMS (Referral management Services) who develop and maintain the Opera platform have worked extensively with NHS Digital and PMS Provider colleagues to look to implement the necessary integrations between systems kickstarted by the national EeRS project, so as to minimise double keying of information by practices. Early implementers have been Opticabase, Specsavers Socrates and Optinet. A number of other PMS providers at the testing stage of this key element.

Michael Prais says about this project, ‘Opticabase integrated with Opera a number of months ago and is simple to use, saving referrers time by not requiring them to log in to the Opera portal in the usual way and manually fill in the site. Opticabase does it all for you.’

Giles Edmonds, Clinical Services Director for Specsavers confirmed, ‘We are very supportive of the Eyecare Electronic Referral programme because it supports better health outcomes for patients. The system provides connection between primary care optometry and colleagues in secondary care, which makes it easier for optometrists and hospital colleagues to share appropriate referral information.’

Dedicated training programmes have been implemented along with local events to support practices through the implementation.

PES are proud that because of the work by and with RMS on the Opera GOS18 solution we have been able to minimise the potential disruption an additional system in many practices would have had in these areas; as well as the resulting streamlining of referrals that has been possible through these implementations.