NHSX have created a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) to enable the rapid transformation of new referral management pathways for ophthalmology patients.

Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have awarded a contract for an Electronic Eyecare Referral System on behalf of NHS England and NHS Improvement London Region. The Electronic Eyecare Referral System will provide Optometrists access to modern eye care electronic referral services that are capable of supporting the current and future needs of ophthalmologist and other eye care professionals.

NHSX have created a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) to enable the rapid transformation of new referral management pathways for ophthalmology patients. Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have awarded a contract for an Electronic Eyecare Referral System via the DPS on behalf of NHS England and NHS Improvement London Region.

This procurement process is looking to address and improve the connectivity that links primary care optometry and the hospital eye service which is seen as key to improving eye care services in England.

The ambition is to have numerous trained and well-equipped primary care optometrists with the ability to make clinical decisions based on quantitative and imaging clinical data. This will provide significant opportunities to use digital connectivity to improve eye care.

NHSX considers digital solutions that increase connectivity between different providers of eye care horizontally and vertically, and across primary and secondary care, to be a key enabler for the national outpatient transformation programme. This will rapidly restore and ensure continuation of eye care services during Covid-19 and transform how services are delivered in the future.

There are 17 major trust providers covering over 31 sites in London and 936 optical practices across 5 Integrated Care Systems (North East, South East, South West, North West and North Central London). Each Integrated Care System (ICS) has its own configurations of optical practice software and ophthalmology IT systems with some optical practices and ophthalmology departments still using paper records.

This procurement process was facilitated by the NHS England National and Commercial Procurement Hub (commissioned from the SCW CSU) on behalf of the Commissioners.