Practice Onboarding
Welcome to OPERA Practice Onboarding
This guide explains how to register your practice on OPERA, what documentation you will need, and the steps required before your practice can begin using the platform.
To begin, visit the OPERA homepage and select Practice Onboarding.
You will find this option directly underneath the User Onboarding link.
Figure 1 – OPERA homepage and Practice Onboarding link
1. Before You Begin
Before starting your application, there are two important things you must do:
- Identify which type of OPERA access your practice requires.
- Prepare the necessary compliance documentation.
Choosing Your Practice Type
The onboarding process differs depending on the services your practice intends to provide.
Full OPERA Access
Select this option if your practice will provide commissioned enhanced eyecare services.
Examples include:
- Community Urgent Eyecare Services (CUES)
- Glaucoma Referral Refinement (GRR)
- Other commissioned enhanced eyecare services
Referral-Only OPERA Access
Select this option if your practice will only participate in referral schemes and will not provide commissioned enhanced eyecare services through OPERA.
Examples include:
- Electronic Eye Referral Services (eERS)
- Other referral-only pathways
Preparing Your Compliance Documents
Before beginning onboarding, ensure that you have completed the documentation required for your chosen practice type.
The table below summarises the requirements.
| Required Document | Full OPERA Access | Referral-Only Access |
|---|---|---|
| Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) | Required | Required |
| NHS Contract Checklist | Required | Not Required |
| GOS Contract Checklist | Required | Not Required |
| Lead Administrator Identification | Required | Required |
All sections of the relevant Quality in Optometry (QiO) checklists must be completed to 100% compliance before uploading.
Accepted File Formats
- DSPT: PDF
- NHS Contract Checklist: PDF
- GOS Contract Checklist: PDF
- Lead Administrator Identification: UK passport or UK driving licence, in JPG, JPEG, PNG or PDF format.
Helpful Resources
The following resources can help you prepare your documentation:
2. Starting Your Practice Onboarding
Once you have prepared your documents and identified the correct practice type, return to the OPERA homepage and select Practice Onboarding.
Step 1 – Select Your Practice Type
You will first be asked to select the type of access required.
- Full OPERA Access: For practices providing commissioned enhanced eyecare services.
- Referral-Only Access: For practices participating in referral schemes only.
Ensure you select the correct option, as this determines the documentation and agreements required during onboarding.
Figure 2 – Selecting your practice type
Step 2 – Enter Your Practice ODS Code
Every practice registering on OPERA must have a valid Organisation Data Service (ODS) code.
OPERA uses this code to identify your practice and associate relevant practitioners and activity with the correct organisation.
Once you enter your ODS code, your practice name should automatically populate.
Figure 3 – Entering your practice ODS code
You can search for your practice using the NHS ODS website:
Search for Your Practice ODS CodeYou must register using your individual optical practice site ODS code. Do not use a head office or organisation headquarters ODS code.
What if my practice does not have an ODS code?
If your practice does not have an ODS code, you must request one through the NHS Organisation Data Service.
Please do not begin onboarding until your ODS code has been issued. Registration cannot be completed without one.
Step 3 – Upload Your DSPT Evidence
Both Full OPERA Access and Referral-Only practices must upload evidence of their completed Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT).
This is a mandatory requirement for practices onboarding through Primary Eyecare Services.
Figure 4 – Uploading your DSPT evidence
DSPT evidence must be maintained annually and updated to reflect the current version of the toolkit.
Step 4 – Upload Your QiO Compliance Documents
This step applies to practices requesting Full OPERA Access.
You will be asked to upload:
- Completed QiO GOS Contract Checklist
- Completed QiO NHS Standard Contract Subcontractor Checklist
Both documents must be uploaded in PDF format.
To upload your documents, you can:
- Drag and drop the files into the upload area.
- Select the files using your device's file browser.
Figure 5 – Uploading your QiO compliance documents
These compliance documents must be provided during onboarding and renewed every three years.
Referral-Only practices: NHS and GOS contract checklists are not required.
Step 5 – Enter Your Practice Financial Information
You will be asked to provide your practice's bank account information.
Carefully check that all details are correct before continuing.
Figure 6 – Entering your practice financial information
Step 6 – Lead Administrator Details and Identity Verification
The individual completing the practice application will become the practice's Lead Administrator on OPERA.
The Lead Administrator is responsible for managing the practice's access and supporting the onboarding of additional users.
To complete this stage, the Lead Administrator must:
- Enter their personal details.
- Upload an accepted identification document.
- Complete the identity verification process.
This follows the same identity verification process used during individual user onboarding.
The Lead Administrator must use an email address that does not already exist on OPERA when creating the practice account.
Once all sections have been completed, carefully review the information provided and submit your application.
3. What Happens After You Submit Your Application?
Submitting your application begins the verification and approval process.
There are several stages to complete before your practice can access OPERA.
Stage 1 – Check Your Email Settings
Add the relevant .gov.uk email address used for onboarding communications to your trusted senders list.
This will help prevent important onboarding emails from being directed to your junk or spam folder.
Stage 2 – Monitor Your Emails
You will receive emails explaining the progress of your application and any actions you need to complete.
Please read these carefully, as some stages require action before onboarding can continue.
Stage 3 – Complete the Legal Agreement
The agreement required depends on your practice type.
The practice's Legal Lead will receive an email requesting that they review and sign the Primary Eyecare Services Subcontract.
The Lead Administrator will receive an email requesting that they review and sign the Data Sharing Agreement.
The onboarding process cannot continue until the required legal agreement has been signed.
Stage 4 – Application and Document Review
Once the agreement has been signed:
- Your Lead Administrator application will be reviewed.
- Your submitted compliance documentation will be checked.
- Any additional verification requirements will be identified.
Stage 5 – Manual Verification
Where manual verification checks are required, processing may take up to 48 hours.
Stage 6 – Account Activation
Once all checks have been successfully completed, your OPERA access credentials may take up to a further 48 hours to become available.
Please monitor your email for further instructions.
4. Completing Your Practice Annual Declaration
Once your Lead Administrator account has been activated, you must complete the practice's Annual Declaration within OPERA.
This is a mandatory governance requirement.
How to Complete the Annual Declaration
Step 1 – Open Your Practice Profile
Sign in to OPERA and navigate to your Practice Profile.
Figure 7 – Opening your Practice Profile
Step 2 – Locate the Annual Declaration
The Annual Declaration section is displayed within your Practice Profile.
OPERA will show the number of days remaining until the declaration expires.
The annual declaration cycle resets on 1 April each year.
Select Review to continue.
Figure 8 – Locating the Annual Declaration
Figure 9 – Selecting Review
Step 3 – Review and Confirm
The declaration screen allows you to:
- Review the Primary Eyecare Services Policy Pack.
- Confirm the declaration on behalf of your practice.
Once submitted, OPERA records:
- The details of the user completing the declaration.
- The date the declaration was submitted.
Figure 10 – Reviewing and confirming the Annual Declaration
The Annual Declaration must be completed each year to maintain compliance with OPERA governance requirements.
5. Inviting Additional Users
Once your Lead Administrator account has been activated, you can invite additional users to access your practice within OPERA.
Different guidance is available depending on the role of the individual you wish to add.
Adding Clinical Practitioners
To invite a clinical practitioner to your practice, follow the guide below:
Adding Additional Administrators
To create additional administrative users, follow:
If a member of your team has not yet created an individual OPERA account, they should complete individual user onboarding before being added to the practice.
6. Next Steps After Onboarding
The next steps depend on the type of OPERA access your practice has requested.
Referral-Only Practices
Referral activity can begin once your DSPT submission has been reviewed and approved, and the required onboarding stages have been completed.
You can monitor your practice's approval status within the Practice Profile page.
Figure 11 – Monitoring your practice onboarding status
Full OPERA Access Practices
Once your practice onboarding has been approved, there are additional steps required before delivering commissioned enhanced eyecare services.
- Create or add the practitioners who will deliver services.
- Select the commissioned services your practice intends to provide.
- Upload any additional service-specific documentation.
- Complete the relevant service accreditation requirements.
The following guides explain these steps in more detail:
7. Need Help?
If you experience any difficulties during onboarding, please contact the OPERA support team.
OPERA Support
Our team can assist with questions about practice onboarding, documentation and account activation.
What to Include When Contacting Support
To help us investigate your query as quickly as possible, please include:
- Your practice name.
- Your practice ODS code, if known.
- Your name and contact details.
- A clear description of the issue or assistance required.
Once you have identified your practice type and prepared the required documents, return to the OPERA homepage and select Practice Onboarding to begin your registration.