CUES/MECS

(The Community Urgent Eyecare Service)

Who can perform a CUES appointment?

Any optometrist who has undertaken the appropriate qualifications – WOPEC MECS LOCSU Theory and Practical.  NB: A pre-registration optometrist may also perform this service under the direct supervision of another optometrist with the appropriate qualifications.

What must a CUES appointment consist of?

As there is no official guidance on emergency appointments, other than to use clinical judgement on what is necessary/what is required by law, each practitioner will therefore have a different take on the content of a CUES examination. 

However, it may be prudent to include the following:

• A measurement of vision/visual acuity 

• A detailed History and Symptoms 

• Additional preliminary testing (e.g., pupils, motility, red desaturation) 

• Ocular examination (dilated, if indicated) 

There are four “levels” of CUES appointments which can be claimed: 

1. CUES Exam – This includes telemedicine 

2. CUES + OCT

3. CUES + IP Support

   1. If an FP10 is issued by an IP optometrist, the FP10 number should be made visible on any patient records and on the OPERA claim for the appointment. 

4. CUES Follow-up

   1. This should be booked when indicated and at the discretion of the optometrist.

What is Telemedicine? 

A CUES/MECS telemedicine appointment takes place over the phone. This is, obviously, only suitable for certain situations – e.g., When the optometrist is confident that the patient is experiencing a benign and easily managed condition, or when they would like to triage the patient further before booking in. The optometrist can then choose whether they would like to see the patient face-to-face for a core assessment or discharge them with self-care advice. 

What should be done after the appointment? 

All CUES episodes can, and should, be claimed through OPERA. 

NB: If an FP10 has been issued, only an IP Optometrist can make this CUES claim on OPERA.  If the optometrist performing the core assessment is not IP but has received IP support from another practitioner, the burden of the claim will fall on the IP Optometrist. 

Practitioner onboarding

Please contact your practice administrator.

Useful Documents: 

H&W IP formulary – see useful downloads.

College of optometrist CMGs: Clinical Management Guidelines - College of Optometrists

CUES/PES - FAQ’s - see useful downloads.

CUES triage form for front of house colleagues – see useful downloads.