In Focus: Cambridgeshire optometrists trial referral system

A digital referral system has been trailled by optometrists in Cambridgeshire to improve patient waiting times and reduce pressure on NHS services in the area.

The Cinapsis SmartReferrals platform was developed by an NHS surgeon with a team of healthcare specialists and has been rolled out across the county.

Alison Lask, optometrist and commissioning lead at Cambridgeshire Local Optical Committee and clinical governance performance lead at Primary Eye Care, has been using the technology.

For too long, she said, optometrists have been forced to work with outdated technologies that took up too much of their time and got in the way of delivering efficient patient care.