Main Roles & Responsibilities 1. Technical Support and Assistance Provide hands-on support to optical practices and practitioners ensuring efficient digital referrals setup and troubleshooting for seamless integration. Offer technical assistance for day-to-day usage of the digital referral platform, enabling optimal functionality and outcomes. Host regular monthly drop-in sessions for optical practices to address support requirements, including additional specialist sessions focused on data transfer from specific diagnostic equipment and brands. Provide hands-on support to secondary care providers by ensuring they can make the best use of referral reports and associated images received via a digital referral platform, optimising integration and data utility within their own systems and Electronic Patient Records (EPR). 2. Referral Data Quality and Optimisation Ensure that referral data sent via digital referrals is complete, accurate, and clinically relevant, enabling effective decision-making. Collaborate with providers to capture essential information within referrals, leveraging the platform to enhance quality of patient care. 3. Engagement and Best Practice Implementation Act as a liaison between optical practices, secondary care providers, and referral centres to foster collaboration across the referral network. Encourage best practices in referral documentation and address any technical challenges that may impede effective usage. Support other digital transformation initiatives within optometry, as part of the Optometry Primary Care Board Network (OPBN) digital workstream, including and not limited to the Greater Manchester Care Record (GMCR) and electronic Prescription Service (ePS). Work collaboratively with stakeholders to enhance digital integration in eye care across primary and secondary care. 4. Training Develop and deliver training sessions for healthcare professionals to ensure a thorough understanding of digital referral functionality and best practices. Encourage digital literacy across users, empowering them to leverage technology confidently and competently. 5. Monitoring, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement Track the progress of digital referrals implementation, identifying areas for improvement and where additional support is needed. Maintain a working knowledge of technical challenges, software issues, and other operational risks to mitigate issues proactively. Regularly report to project leads on implementation status, highlighting successes and challenges, and recommending strategies for further digital optimisation. 6. Supporting Health Equity Analyse referral trends and identify areas where digital referrals can address health disparities, with a focus on improving outcomes for high-deprivation populations. Collaborate with data analysts to harness referral data, fostering equitable patient outcomes, particularly in populations of high deprivation. 7. Reporting and Accountability The DFO will work closely with the Optometry Excellence team, and report to the Optometry Provider Board (OPB) via the Optometry Referrals Improvement Program Lead to support objectives outlined in the Optometry Excellence framework. This role is integral to enhancing the quality and efficiency of referral processes in optometry across the Greater Manchester footprint. This list of duties is not intended to be exhaustive but indicates the main areas of work and may be subject to change after consultation with the post-holder to meet the changing needs of the service.