NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin has completed the onboarding of all 62 optometry practices in the area to a new eye referral system – the first integrated care board (ICB) in the region to do so.
The Electronic Eye Referral System (EeRS) is a digital platform for all eyecare referrals and communications between optometrists, referral management, secondary care and eyecare providers.
The aim is to provide a more efficient referral pathway that reduces the risk of lost or duplicate referrals and improves the flow of information across the system.
NHS England commissioned Cinapsis to provide the EeRS platform across the Midlands region, covering 11 ICBs.
In November 2023, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB was the first to go live with the platform as part of an NHS Midlands-led regional implementation programme.
And in January 2025, the ICB became the first to achieve 100% onboarding of all its optometry practices.
Claire Roberts, optometry adviser for the integrated care system in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, described it as ‘a tremendous achievement’ that all referrals could be sent digitally on the Cinapsis platform.
‘This means referrals from all optical practices in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin are sent more efficiently and communication is improved between eye care professionals,’ said Ms Roberts.
She added: ‘This is testament to the hard work of all the staff involved in the planning and delivery of this fantastic project.’
The project team will continue to work with stakeholders and optometry colleagues to deliver system benefits such as:
- A more efficient referral pathway, removing the delay for the patient.
- Reducing the admin burden on GPs and reducing the risk of lost and duplicate referrals.
- A standardised set of easy-to-use electronic referral forms and the ability to easily share images.
- Improved flow of information across the system.
This video explains more about EeRS: Midlands Eyecare Electronic Referral Service
