IPN - Instituto Pedro Nunes - Blueworks honoured at the HSJ Partnership Awards 2025 for its innovative solution in ophthalmology

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Blueworks, a company incubated at Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN), was honoured with the ‘Most Impactful Use of Technology on Clinical Practice’ award at the HSJ Partnership Awards 2025.


This recognition highlights its innovative solution, developed in partnership with NHS Gloucestershire ICB, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHSFT and the Gloucestershire Local Optical Committee, which improves communication between hospitals and community optometrists, optimising ophthalmic care.

The Community Ophthalmic Link (COL) project was set up to facilitate secure access for community optometrists to hospital ophthalmology clinical records, allowing images and data to be shared between secondary and primary care.

The results demonstrate the positive impact of the technology:

• 11,300 hospital clinical record searches carried out annually
• 1,300 hospital referrals avoided
• 16% reduction in the waiting list for new patients
• Annual savings of £226,800 in operating costs

The initiative has the potential for a profound impact, preventing more than 120,000 hospital referrals a year and generating more than £20 million in annual savings in England.

This award underlines the significant impact of Blueworks' technology on clinical practice, promoting closer collaboration between different healthcare organisations and improving ophthalmic care for the community.