Primary Eyecare Services forms new partnership with FDS Consultants

Primary Eyecare Services has formed a long-term partnership with IT provider, FDS Consultants, to transition to the Opera platform. The new single platform encompasses a variety of features including records, performance management of eye care services, and referrals, as well as helping to enhance collaboration between primary and secondary care services.

The announcement marks an expansion of an existing relationship, as FDS’ Opera platform is the technology enabler supporting the COVID-19 Urgent Eyecare Service (CUES) which is currently operating or being established in 37 clinical commissioning group (CCG) areas.

Functions of the Opera platform include NHS number look-up, access to summary care records, eRS referrals and feedback from hospital eye services, with further functionality set to be added in the future. The platform also includes routine functionality including claims management and performance management of eye care services.

The long-term partnership includes a broader remit for FDS to incorporate all technology capabilities into one platform. The companies suggest this could enable greater collaboration between optical practices and hospital eye services by integrating access to NHS systems into a single platform.

Commenting on the system, Dharmesh Patel, CEO for Primary Eyecare Services, said: “Opera is a single, easy to use platform covering all providers and episodes of care including records, referrals and collaboration. It enables a revolution in collaboration allowing primary eye care practices to work more closely with hospital eye services - which will ultimately deliver better patient care”

PES and its partner organisations are set to transition to the new platform over the next six months, with the current IT platform, OptoManager, to be phased out.

FDS Consultants, which has experience with optometry and dental referral management, were selected as the new long-term IT partner for Primary Eyecare Services following a “robust” selection process. The eye care provider remarked on FDS Consultants’ “agile ways of working” demonstrated through the successful implementation of Opera to manage CUES.

FDS director of operations, Anne Lamb, said the company was “delighted” to be selected as long-term partner, commenting: “Our experience in referral management and extended services provision in dentistry is very transferable to the optical sector and we were able to rapidly develop the Opera platform to enable the CUES service.

“This has provided the foundation for a successful partnership with PES and we look forward to working in partnership with PES to transition the organisation and its partners onto the broader platform, and into the future as we add more functionality and capabilities.”