FOI Ref: 0099FOI1920

10th September 2019 
 
Freedom of Information Act 2000 – Request for Information
 
We are pleased to respond to your request for information and our response is set out below:
 
Request/ Response
 
I wish to make a series of separate requests under the Freedom of Information Act. For convenience, I am including them in the same email. Please treat each as a separate request under the terms of the Act. The requests are as follows:  

1) Do you have contracts in place for the diagnosis, and monitoring of glaucoma? 

Yes as part of the Standard Contracts with NHS Acute Hospitals.  

2) Can you please confirm the providers who are currently accredited to deliver this service?

For Sheffield CCG patients this is mainly provided by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust  

3) Can you please confirm whether the CCG paid any 'non-contracted' providers for the delivery of the service? 

Not, know, however, if the CCG did then it would have been very small.

4) Can you please confirm the service pathway and requirements for the current diagnosis and monitoring of Glaucoma pathways?

There are a number of community optometrists providing a range of enhanced optometry services including Applanation Tonometry and Glaucoma Referral refinement which feed into the overall glaucoma pathway.  The services improve the reporting of suspected glaucoma and reduces the number of referrals. Patients who require onward referral from community optometrists are referred to Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

5) Can you please confirm the tariffs that the CCG currently pays for each part of the Glaucoma Diagnosis and Monitoring Pathway? 

Standard NHS National Tariff  

6) Can the CCG please confirm the number of episodes that they paid for under each part of the Glaucoma Diagnosis and Monitoring Pathway during the following periods?   April 2017-March 2018  April 2018 - March 2019  April 2019 - July 2019

The CCG is unable to answer. The outpatient data provided by Acute Hospitals under the NHS Standard Contract does not provide this level of information 
 
7) Can the CCG please provide a copy of the service specification for each part of the Glaucoma Diagnosis and Monitoring Pathway?

The Enhanced Community Service specifications are attached, CATS, GRR. 
 
8) Can the CCG please confirm when the current contracts for Glaucoma Diagnosis and Monitoring Pathways both started, and are due to expire? 

As provision is via the local acute trust the contract dates are in line with the national annual planning cycle.  

9) Can you please confirm if the current contract has an option to further extend? If so, for how long? 

See response to question 8.   

10) Can the CCG please confirm their intentions on what happens with the Glaucoma Diagnosis and Monitoring when they expire? 

The CCG has no immediate plans currently to change the service model. 
 
11) Do you have contracts in place for the diagnosis, and monitoring of glaucoma? 

Yes as part of the Standard Contracts with NHS Acute Hospitals.  

12) Can you please confirm the providers who are currently accredited to deliver this service?

For Sheffield CCG patients this is mainly provided by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.