We use this term to mean the delivery of care remotely, in real time providing clinical examination, assessment and management. This is also described as synchronous care delivery. This may involve the use of a non-registrant acting under instruction. We do not include virtual or non-synchronous care within this definition.
- You should use your professional judgement to decide whether it is in the patient's best interests to offer remote consultations.
- Remote care requires a suitable clinical governance framework to ensure patient safety and comparable patient outcomes that support clinical audit.
- When conducting a remote eye examination or sight test, the same optometrist should remain in control and responsible for performing the refraction, ocular health assessment and subsequent issuing of a prescription.
- Patients should be triaged prior to a remote consultation to ensure they are suitable to receive care remotely and the level of care they receive is not impeded by any needs they may have, including by their level of digital access and literacy.
A80
This Guidance does not change what you must do under the law. You should follow national guidance on remote care and only utilise it where permitted.
A81
You should use your professional judgement to decide whether it is in the patient's best interests to offer remote consultations.
A82
Where you recommend medicine(s) to treat the patient during a remote consultation, you should follow the principles for remote consultations and prescribing31.
A83
Care delivered remotely requires a suitable clinical governance framework to ensure patient safety and comparable patient outcomes that support clinical audit.
A84
When providing remote care there should be appropriate direction or supervision where necessary, and a robust plan in place to manage technical issues or unexpected clinical finding(s) which require a transfer of care to an appropriate clinician to complete a face-face assessment with suitable urgency.
A85
You should ensure that the technology and the methodology to deliver care remotely do not compromise patient safety.
A86
When conducting an eye examination or sight test, the same optometrist should remain responsible for remotely performing the refraction, ocular health assessment and subsequent issuing of a prescription. Where it is not possible or in the patient's best interests to complete the episode of care on the same day, a transfer of care to another optometrist should be made.
A87
You remain responsible for the interpretation and assimilation of all clinical findings required to conclude the eye examination or sight test. This includes utilising automated instruments such as visual fields instruments, auto-refractors, and imaging devices - unless you have made a transfer of care to another optometrist.
A88
Patients should be triaged prior to a remote consultation to ensure they are suitable to receive care remotely and the level of care they receive is not impeded by any needs they may have, including their level of digital access and literacy.
We use this term to mean the delivery of care virtually, by the assessment of clinical information normally following the data collection by another person. The assessment of data is not at the same time as the collection of the clinical data, so is sometimes described as non-synchronous care. The collection of the information may be completed by a non-registrant.
- You should use your professional judgement to decide whether it is in the patient's best interests to offer care virtually.
- Virtually delivered care requires a suitable clinical governance framework to ensure patient safety and comparable patient outcomes that support clinical audit.
- Virtual pathways must not be used for conducting an eye examination or sight test.
A89
This Guidance does not change what you must do under the law.
A90
You should use your professional judgement to decide whether it is in the patient's best interests to offer virtual pathways of care.
A91
Care delivered virtually requires a suitable clinical governance framework to ensure patient safety and comparable patient outcomes that support clinical audit.
A92
When providing virtual care there should be a robust plan in place to manage technical issues or unexpected clinical finding(s) which require a transfer of care to an appropriate clinician to complete synchronous face-to-face assessment with suitable urgency.
A93
Non-registrant staff collecting patient data as part of virtual care should be trained to raise any concerns about the quality or content of the data with the initiating optometrists, or other appropriate clinician, as soon as possible.
A94
Virtual pathways being followed by non-registrant staff should always follow evidence-based clinical protocols. It is the responsibility of the initiating optometrist to ensure that this is always the case, as you have ultimate responsibility for the patient and their care.
A95
Virtual pathways must not be used for conducting an eye examination or sight test.
