NWL0056 Community Urgent and Routine Eye Examination Assessment and Treatment Service

During 2020, in response to Covid, an urgent and routine eye examination assessment and treatment service was set up for the Hillingdon community to take over eye care and eye treatment from Hillingdon Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (THH) who were asked to stop all non-Covid activity.

To ensure continuity, Primary Eyecare Services Limited was awarded a contract to deliver the service between 1st September 2021 and 30th April 2022. A new model of care will be delivered by specialist optometrists within THH from 1st April 2022. Primary Eyecare Services Limited will continue services whilst the new community service is implemented. The new model of care will provide patients with choice as there will be up to 14 optometrists providers linked with Primary Care Networks (PCNs) across the borough.

The CCG has recently awarded a contract to the Hillingdon Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for specialist optometrists service and to enable the continued provision of the above service. The CCG makes a continued effort to assess the needs of the service users and consider how (if relevant) it needs to: -Secure the needs of the people who use the services;

-Improve the quality of the services; and

-Improve the efficiency in the provision of the services including through the services being provided in an integrated way.

NWL CCG is currently of the view that the specialist optometrists services required are most capable of being provided only by Hillingdon Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as part of the integrated pathway that is being developed.

If it is the case that THH is the only provider capable of delivering the services described above (along with other providers as part of an integrated pathway), then the CCG will look to award a further contract to THH for up to three (3) years starting 1st April 2023.

The purpose of this PIN is to be transparent about the CCG's intentions and to invite anyone interested in delivering the services described above to contact us by 4th March 2022.

During 2022, it is anticipated that NWL CCG will be succeeded by an Integrated Care Board (ICB). Any future contract and/or procurement opportunity may therefore be in the name of the ICB.