Current & planned Schemes and Referral Guidelines

Referrals can be made directly to SRSB by emailing referrals@srsb.org.uk

For patients with a Sheffield GP:

All cataract or YAG laser referrals should be referred directly to your chosen provider. See the cataract page for details.

All other referrals should be sent to the Single Point of Access for triage unless they have already gone through a referral refinement service, in which case refer directly to your chosen provider via Opera.

Please include any relevant visual field plots or OCT scans. Referrals without this may be returned.

Email: sth.spa@nhs.net via secure NHS mail only

Single Point of Access (Ophthalmology Referrals),
Community House,
The Northern General Hospital,
Herries Road,
Sheffield
S5 7AU

For patients without a Sheffield GP, please refer via the patient’s GP.

To refer a patient as an emergency to the Hallamshire, please phone ahead during the emergency eye centre opening times (8.00 am to 4.30 pm weekdays only) on 0114 271 2726

Outside these hours, you can call the Hallamshire switchboard on 0114 271 1900 and ask to speak to the on call ophthalmologist.

Do not send the patient to A+E at the Northern General – they will get diverted to ophthalmology at the Hallamshire by the A+E department, so sending them to the Northern General will just delay treatment.

To refer children (under 16) in an emergency, call Sheffield Children’s Hospital on 0114 271 7000 and ask for bleep 250 (8.00 am to 4.30 pm weekdays only) or outside hours, call the Hallamshire switchboard as above.

If you are worried that a child has been harmed or is at risk of harm then phone the Sheffield Safeguarding Hub on 0114 273 4855 (24 hours) to speak to a social worker.

If a child is in immediate danger then call 999 for a police response.

For further information, please click here

If you’re a professional and you are worried that an adult is being abused or neglected, you can report it to the Council’s First Contact Team.

Fill out the Safeguarding adults concern form. Please provide as much detail as possible.
Email it to asc.howdenhouse@sheffield.gov.uk
If you want to report a concern over the phone call 0114 273 4908. Please be aware that phone lines are busy and you may have to wait some time before your call is answered.

The PRR scheme only takes referrals from orthoptist screening at school. You must carry out a cycloplegic refraction and assess vision with the Crowded Keeler chart.

No accreditation or training is needed.

The CATS scheme is to be used when IOP by non-contact tonometry is above current NICE thresholds, but all other examinations are normal. It funds Goldmann or Perkins tonometry when appropriate.

No training or accreditation is needed.

The PEARS scheme is to allow NHS funding for examinations where an NHS eye examination is not appropriate, or unavailable.

WOPEC level 2 MECS accreditation is required. Full service specifications can be found in the contractor area of the website.

Glaucoma referral refinement requires an anterior chamber assessment, 24-2 visual fields (full threshold or supra-threshold), contact tonometry and a dilated disc assessment.

WOPEC level 1 accreditation or a Professional Certificate in Glaucoma or higher is required.