Purpose
To provide guidance for General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) contractors and their teams to enable patient care to continue in the event of a PCSE Online system outage or inaccessibility through mobile connectivity issues.
The business continuity plan applies in the following circumstances:
- PCSE Online system outage – the system is unavailable/inaccessible, affecting all users
- Domiciliary providers operating in areas with poor mobile connectivity
- Mandatory services experiencing internet connectivity issues
- Practice Management Systems (PMS) eGOS system outage – As a contingency should contractors be unable to switch to PCSE Online
System overview
PCSE Online is a web-based option for securely submitting, tracking and reconciling GOS claims. Users access the service via the PCSE website with a unique log-in ID and password.
Contractors are set up in the PCSE Online system using the unique Organisation Data Service (ODS) code. ODS codes are set up in advance for any new contract mobilisations. Contractors need to nominate a user administrator who will be able to create new user accounts for practice staff and assign roles to existing PCSE Online user accounts, e.g. for locum staff.
Access issues
If a user cannot access PCSE Online the first step is to confirm that the practice internet connection is operating normally. This can be done by checking the network status in the computer operating system or the indicator lights on the router.
PCSE Online system outage
If it is possible to connect to the internet but the user is unable to log into PCSE Online, the user should go to www.pcse.england.nhs.uk and check for an alert banner on the home page regarding system availability. If there is no alert banner confirming there is a known system issue, the user should contact PCSE for confirmation. The business continuity arrangements for system outages must only be enacted following notification or confirmation from PCSE of a system downtime.
The contact number to report a PCSE Online system outage is: 0333 014 2884, Monday – Friday 8.00am – 5.00pm. Outside of these hours, users can email pcse.optomengagement@nhs.net and PCSE will respond the next working day.
Poor mobile connectivity
For additional services contractors operating in localities where mobile signal strength is poor or lacking, please refer to the Connectivity issues section for contingency arrangements.
Internet connectivity issue
For mandatory services contractors, if it is not possible to connect to the internet, check with the internet provider if there is a known fault in the area, for example damage to their IT infrastructure or temporary loss of connectivity affecting all customers in a locality. If there is no known fault reported, the internet provider’s troubleshooting guidance should be followed in the first instance. Where issues persist and contractors are unable to connect to the PCSE Online portal, please refer to the Connectivity issues section for contingency arrangements.
Business continuity arrangements
All claims must be submitted through PCSE Online or PMS eGOS. In the event of the PCSE Online system being unavailable or inaccessible, a patient declaration form has been introduced (available as a separate file) to ensure that patient care is unaffected during this period. This form enables performers to capture the required patient signatures on paper to be retained within patients records at the practice to enable any claim to be processed within the electronic system once available.
Contractors are expected to print the patient declaration form and have them available for use when required. Contractors need to have a facility for securely storing completed forms. The patient declaration form can be used for the patient eligibility declaration for GOS 1, 5 and 6 claims, and eligibility and collection of appliances for GOS 3 and 4 claims.
Patients, their parent or carer, should be informed if the electronic system is unavailable, and that the patient declaration form is an alternative way for the NHS to capture their signature to avoid delay or disruption to their care.
The performer should complete the relevant sections of the form: claim type, patient’s details and eligibility. The patient, parent or carer should tick the relevant declaration boxes, leaving sections that do not apply blank, and provide a dated signature. If a parent or carer is signing on the patient’s behalf, they should also provide their name and address (if different).
Upon completion of the patient declaration form, the performer will be able to carry out a sight test or dispense an appliance without causing inconvenience or delay for the patient. The claim can subsequently be created or processed to completion when the system is available or accessible. Ticking system outage or connectivity issues in the patient declaration section will display a disclaimer and drop-down menu for the performer to complete. The patient declaration form must be retained as part of the patient record for 3 years and contractors may be asked by commissioners to provide evidence of the form for post-payment verification checks. Failure to provide the evidence may invalidate the payment claim.
PMS eGOS
Each PMS should have its own business continuity plan, detailing the arrangements to follow in the event of a PMS system outage. All PMS eGOS users also have full access to PCSE Online. In the event of a PMS system outage where PCSE Online is unaffected, contractors can switch to PCSE Online and continue to create and complete GOS claims. Each contractor is assigned a PCSE Online user administrator who can ensure that the team has the relevant access permissions in PCSE Online. The contingency arrangements outlined in this plan will only apply to PMS eGOS users if the PMS continuity arrangements have been exhausted and PCSE Online is also unavailable.
Should PCSE Online suffer an outage it is expected that PMS eGOS functionality would be unaffected, except for Pre-Visit Notifications (PVN). Patient care will be able to continue, including creating and completing GOS claims. However, it will not be possible to submit PMS eGOS claims to PCSE for payment. Contractors should store the claims in the PMS system and submit to PCSE once access to PCSE Online is restored.
PVNs cannot be submitted from PMS eGOS to PCSE in the event of a PCSE Online outage. If there is a risk of failing to meet the regulatory time frames, please follow the process described for ‘Practice is unable to submit a domiciliary PVN in the time frame required by regulations’ in the PCSE Online system outages section below.
PCSE Online system outages
Instances of system outages should be recorded in the System Access Log (available as a separate file). The continuity arrangements should only be employed when there is a system downtime affecting all PCSE Online users, as confirmed by PCSE. As part of the post-payment verification process, the NHS Business Services Authority will verify the dates and times of outages with PCSE.
Scenario | Action |
|---|---|
|
Patient arrives for a GOS sight test and is unable to sign the GOS1 or GOS5 | Ensure the outage is recorded in the System Access Log (once per outage)Complete the patient declaration form and tick the NHS Sight Test box in the patient declaration. Record in the patient’s clinical record, the time of the PCSE Online outage and confirmation that the patient declaration form has been completed. As soon as the practice can access PCSE Online they should create the GOS claim in the normal way. In the Patient Eligibility section, tick the box for System Outage and a drop-down menu and disclaimer appears. Record the date and time of the system outage and the time of the patient signature capture. The performer needs to sign the System Outage declaration to proceed to the next section. Add the claim ID to the Patient Declaration form. |
|
Patient is entitled to an optical voucher but is unable to sign the Patient Eligibility declaration on the GOS 3 claim | Ensure the outage is recorded in the System Access Log (once per outage) Complete the Patient Declaration Form and tick the NHS Optical Vouchers issue box in the patient declaration. Record in the patient’s clinical record, the time of the PCSE Online outage and confirmation that the Patient Declaration Form has been completed. Should the patient choose to redeem the voucher later, they should be informed that they will receive the voucher at the earliest opportunity once a claim has been generated in the system. Patients must be given the choice to decide their preferred method of receiving the voucher. This should include by email, post or in person. As soon as the practice can access PCSE Online they should create the GOS claim in the normal way. In the Patient Eligibility section, tick the box for System Outage and a drop-down menu and disclaimer appears. Record the date and time of the system outage and the time of the patient signature capture. The performer needs to sign the System Outage declaration to proceed to the next section. Add the claim ID to the Patient Declaration form. |
|
Patient’s glasses are broken but they are unable to sign the Patient Eligibility declaration on the GOS 4 claim |
Ensure the outage is recorded in the System Access Log (once per outage) Complete the Patient Declaration Form and tick the NHS Optical Vouchers issue box in the patient declaration. Record in the patient’s clinical record, the time of the PCSE Online outage and confirmation that the Patient Declaration Form has been completed. As soon as the practice can access PCSE Online they should create the GOS claim in the normal way. In the Patient Eligibility section, tick the box for System Outage which opens an additional screen. Record the date and time of the system outage and the time of the patient signature capture. The performer needs to sign the System Outage declaration to proceed to the next section. Add the claim ID to the Patient Declaration form. |
|
Patient comes to collect glasses they have ordered and needs to sign Patient Declaration on the GOS 3 or GOS 4 claim |
Ensure the outage is recorded in the System Access Log (once per outage) Complete the Patient Declaration Form and tick the NHS Optical Vouchers collection box in the patient declaration. Tick the applicable sections of the collection declaration. Record in the patient’s clinical record, the time of the PCSE Online outage and confirmation that the Patient Declaration Form has been completed. As soon as the practice can access PCSE Online they should access the GOS claim in the normal way. In the Patient Declaration section, tick the box for System Outage and a drop-down menu and disclaimer appears. Record the date and time of the system outage and the time of the patient signature capture. The performer needs to sign the System Outage declaration to proceed to the next section. Add the claim ID to the Patient Declaration form. |
|
Patient is due to have a domiciliary sight test and is unable to sign the GOS6 |
Ensure the outage is recorded in the System Access Log (once per outage) Complete the Patient Declaration Form and tick the NHS Sight Test box in the patient declaration. Record in the patient’s clinical record, the time of the PCSE Online outage and confirmation that the Patient Declaration Form has been completed. As soon as the practice can access PCSE Online they should create the GOS claim in the normal way. In the Patient Eligibility section, tick the box for System Outage and a drop-down menu and disclaimer appears. Record the date and time of the system outage and the time of the patient signature capture. The performer needs to sign the System Outage declaration to proceed to the next section. |
|
Practice is unable to submit a domiciliary PVN in the time frame required by regulations | Ensure the outage is recorded in the System Access Log (once per outage) Record in patient’s clinical record, the time of the PCSE Online outage and all the details required for a PVN. Send a secure email to the relevant commissioning team to provide the details required for a PVN. As soon as PCSE Online is available, complete, or in the case of PMS eGOS submit, a PVN and set the visit date and time for the earliest date and time allowed by regulations. E-mail PCSE Ophthalmic operations team at PCSE.domprenotifications@nhs.net. Provide details of the PVN reference number and original visit time and date and the correct visit time date and time and date system outage occurred. PCSE will then correct the information and then confirm back to contractor once this has been completed. |
Connectivity issues
Instances of internet connection issues should be recorded in the System Access Log (embedded below). The continuity arrangement applies where domiciliary providers operate in a locality with poor mobile signal. It also applies where there is a downtime to the internet connection in mandatory practices. This includes the internet provider experiencing a network failure, locally, regionally or nationally, or an issue with the practice’s broadband connection.
| Scenario | Action |
|---|---|
|
Patient is due to have a domiciliary sight test and is unable to sign the GOS6 |
Ensure the connectivity issue is recorded in the System Access Log (once per location). Complete the Patient Declaration Form and tick the NHS Sight Test box in the patient declaration. As soon as the performer can access PCSE Online they should create the GOS claim. In the Patient Eligibility section, tick the box for Connectivity Issues and a drop-down menu and disclaimer appears. Record the date of the sight test and the time of the patient signature capture. The performer needs to sign the Connectivity Issues declaration to proceed to the next section. Add the claim ID to the Patient Declaration form. Record in the patient’s clinical record confirmation that the Patient Declaration Form has been completed. |
|
Practice is unable to submit a domiciliary PVN in the time frame required by regulations | Ensure the connectivity issue is recorded in the System Access Log (once per location). Record in patient’s clinical record, the details of the connectivity issues and all the details required for a PVN. As soon as PCSE Online is available, complete a PVN and set the visit date and time for the earliest date and time allowed by regulations. E-mail PCSE Ophthalmic operations team at PCSE.domprenotifications@nhs.net. Provide details of the PVN reference number and original visit time and date and the correct visit time date and time and date system outage occurred. PCSE will then correct the information and then confirm back to contractor once this has been completed. |
|
Patient arrives for a GOS sight test and is unable to sign the GOS1 or GOS5 |
Ensure the connectivity issue is recorded in the System Access Log (once per location). Complete the Patient Declaration Form and tick the NHS Sight Test box in the patient declaration. Record in the patient’s clinical record the time of the connectivity issue and confirmation that the Patient Declaration Form has been completed. As soon as the performer can access PCSE Online they should create the GOS claim. In the Patient Eligibility section, tick the box for Connectivity issues and a drop-down menu and disclaimer appears. Record the date of the sight test and the time of the patient signature capture. The performer needs to sign the Connectivity issues declaration to proceed to the next section. Add the claim ID to the Patient Declaration form. |
|
Patient is entitled to an optical voucher but is unable to sign the Patient Eligibility declaration on the GOS 3 claim |
Ensure the connectivity issue is recorded in the System Access Log (once per location). Complete the Patient Declaration Form and tick the NHS Optical Vouchers issue box in the patient declaration. Should the patient choose to redeem the voucher later, they should be informed that they will receive the voucher at the earliest opportunity once a claim has been generated in the system. As soon as the performer can access PCSE Online they should create the GOS claim. In the Patient Eligibility section, tick the box for Connectivity Issues and a drop-down menu and disclaimer appears. Record the date of the sight test and the time of the patient signature capture. The performer needs to sign the Connectivity Issues declaration to proceed to the next section. Add the claim ID to the Patient Declaration form. Record in the patient’s clinical record the time of the connectivity issue and confirmation that the Patient Declaration Form has been completed. |
|
Patient’s glasses are broken but they are unable to sign the Patient Eligibility declaration on the GOS 4 claim |
Ensure the connectivity issue is recorded in the System Access Log (once per location). Complete the Patient Declaration Form and tick the NHS Optical Vouchers issue box in the patient declaration. As soon as the performer can access PCSE Online they should create the GOS claim. In the Patient Eligibility section, tick the box for Connectivity Issues and a drop-down menu and disclaimer appears. Record the date of the sight test and the time of the patient signature capture. The performer needs to sign the Connectivity Issues declaration to proceed to the next section. Add the claim ID to the Patient Declaration form. Record in the patient’s clinical record the time of the connectivity issue and confirmation that the Patient Declaration Form has been completed. |
|
Patient is due to receive the glasses they have ordered and needs to sign the Patient Declaration on the GOS 3 or GOS 4 claim |
Ensure the connectivity issue is recorded in the System Access Log (once per location). Complete the Patient Declaration Form and tick the NHS Optical Vouchers collection box in the patient declaration. Tick the applicable sections of the collection declaration. As soon as the performer can access PCSE Online they should access the GOS claim. In the Patient Declaration section, tick the box for Connectivity Issues and a drop-down menu and disclaimer appears. Record the date of supply and the time of the patient signature capture. The performer needs to sign the Connectivity Issues declaration to proceed to the next section. Add the claim ID to the Patient Declaration form. Record in the patient’s clinical record the time of the connectivity issue and confirmation that the Patient Declaration Form has been completed. |
Publication reference: PRN00686