FOI 1644 - Community Glaucoma Services
FOI Reference Number:
1644
Request
1. Please provide the name, email, and telephone contact for the person/s within your organisation or partner organisations responsible for the commissioning and provision of any community based stable glaucoma services (or similar hospital based services).
2. Who is your current contractor for the provision of any community based stable glaucoma services (or similar hospital based services)?
3. Do they sub-contract part of the delivery of the service to individual optometrists/health centres?
4. What is the end date of their contract for the provision of this service?
5. If the end date is due within 18 Months, has a decision been made yet on whether the contract(s) are being either extended or renewed?
6. Do you have any forthcoming community (or similar hospital based services) glaucoma tenders or projects in 2022/23?
7. Is the contractor providing you with sufficient robust data to measure the service against key objectives, In particular:
• Is there a current backlog of patients waiting for glaucoma appointments and if so, is this backlog reducing sufficiently?
• Are the levels of activity meeting your targets?
• Is there sufficient coordination between primary, secondary and community care or are referral bottlenecks being seen?
• Do they use a secure digital infrastructure to deliver end-to-end glaucoma service between all your stakeholders?
• Do they provide measurable data to verify that both quality and value of care for glaucoma patients is in line with current best evidence-based practice, including NICE guidelines for Glaucoma?”
Response
Date: 6 September 2022
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION – DECISION NOTICE
Dear Sir / Madam,
FOI Reference Number: 1644
Our response:
1. Please provide the name, email, and telephone contact for the person/s within your organisation or partner organisations responsible for the commissioning and provision of any community based stable glaucoma services (or similar hospital based services).
All enquiries should be sent to ddicb.optometry@nhs.net
2. Who is your current contractor for the provision of any community based stable glaucoma services (or similar hospital based services)?
Primary Eye Services, Chesterfield Health Provider.
3. Do they sub-contract part of the delivery of the service to individual optometrists/health centres?
Yes – Primary Eye Services
4. What is the end date of their contract for the provision of this service?
31 March 2023
5. If the end date is due within 18 Months, has a decision been made yet on whether the contract(s) are being either extended or renewed?
Not yet as part of a trial commencing in September 2022, but there will be a requirement to have a contract in place to ensure there is no gap in service provision.
6. Do you have any forthcoming community (or similar hospital based services) glaucoma tenders or projects in 2022/23?
Yes.
7. Is the contractor providing you with sufficient robust data to measure the service against key objectives, In particular:
o Is there a current backlog of patients waiting for glaucoma appointments and if so, is this backlog reducing sufficiently?
o Are the levels of activity meeting your targets?
o Is there sufficient coordination between primary, secondary and community care or are referral bottlenecks being seen?
o Do they use a secure digital infrastructure to deliver end-to-end glaucoma service between all your stakeholders?
o Do they provide measurable data to verify that both quality and value of care for glaucoma patients is in line with current best evidence-based practice, including NICE guidelines for Glaucoma?
Due to the pandemic, contract monitoring in this regard was reduced and there have been no activity targets set for the current year. Monthly data is submitted by providers and reviewed by commissioners along with annual submissions around the service which include quantitative and qualitative measures. The trial will utilise a secure IT system between primary & secondary care. Operational Delivery Group, Expert Advisory Forum and informal methods of communication also between stakeholders enable feedback of issues such as waiting lists, bottlenecks etc. to be discussed. No issues have been reported with the service delivery in Primary Care.
I hope that this answers your queries with the information we currently hold, but if I can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of receipt of the response to your original letter and should be addressed to:
NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB
FOI Team
Scarsdale
Nightingale Close
Newbold
Chesterfield
S41 7PF
Or:
If you are not content with the outcome of our review, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board (ICB).
The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioners Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF, telephone 0303 123 1113, email casework@ico.org.uk.
Yours faithfully,
Kathryn Jacklin
FOI Officer
Derby and Derbyshire ICB
All information we have provided is subject to the provisions of the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015. Accordingly, if the information has been made available for re-use under the Open Government Licence (OGL) a request to re-use is not required, but the licence conditions must be met. You must not re-use any previously unreleased information without having the consent from the ICB. Should you wish to re-use previously unreleased information then you must make your request in writing (email will suffice) to the FOI Lead via ddccg.foi@nhs.net. All requests for re-use will be responded to within 20 working days of receipt.
