A five-year strategy to secure the present and shape the future of optometry has been outlined by the Association of Optometrists (AOP).
The professional body said its strategy set out its vision for the future and a roadmap to achieve its goals from 2022 to 2026.
Its strategy was created to support the delivery and expansion of optometric services following changes in how eye care was commissioned and delivered because of Covid-19, proposed health reforms and new technology.
Adam Sampson, chief executive at the AOP, said: ‘Our strategy may be bold and aspirational, but it also comes at a time of real urgency. The future of eye care across the four nations of the UK has never been more malleable and it is vital that we prepare for the seismic changes ahead and do so without delay.’
He added that the role of eye care professionals was at the heart of primary healthcare, alongside dentists, pharmacists and GPs, in supporting the NHS and alleviating the backlog experienced in secondary care.
‘Our strategy sets out a roadmap in which we must create a vision that defends and secures the legislative future of the profession, identifies members’ roles in the future of healthcare and sets the agenda to influence policy-making. We know our members, like so many, are facing a cost of living crisis and our roadmap reflects the need for innovation in the economics in the optical sector, as well as our own future business model to ensure we continue to deliver the value for money members expect,’ Sampson said.
Core focus
The AOP’s strategy outlined the key priorities it would focus on over the next five years and were underpinned by its commitment to serve, protect and promote the interests of its members.
There were five pillars of the strategy that the AOP said would ensure practitioners had a say in the future of the profession and were equipped, supported and ready for the future of optical care.
The first point focused on creating a vision for legislation and regulation. The AOP noted potential changes to the Opticians Act and the GOC will mean the professional body would need to undertake detailed work on behalf of its members to ensure the future of the profession was defended and secured.
Building external influence and policy-making was the second pillar outlined in the AOP’s strategy. It would look to extend and expand its influence, both within the sector and externally, to system leaders and the wider population as the sector evolved and changed due to health reforms, innovative technologies, regulation and clinical advancements.
Ensuring the AOP was a leader and catalyst for change in the context of new healthcare commissioning and operating systems, as well as moving more services into community-based settings and to deliver care closer to home was the third pillar.
The fourth priority focused on economics in the optical sector. It said given the significant drivers of change in the sector, the AOP would need to shape a collective view on the current and future picture of the market in order to identify where and how it should be leading the focus of clinical, non-clinical and workforce resources.
Lastly, the AOP would seek to deliver a business model that enabled it to flex and change to retain and enhance its position in the sector and ensure it delivered the services members needed.
The chair of the AOP board, Dr Julie-Anne Little, said: ‘At the core of the strategy is our commitment to secure the present and shape the future of optometry for the benefit of our members and the people they serve. We are committed to providing a membership service of the highest standard, enabling members to thrive and flourish in delivering excellent optical care across the UK. We look forward to collaborating with our colleagues at the AOP, our members and our external partners to deliver this strategy.’
Pillars of practice
The first pillar of the AOP’s strategy was to ensure its members’ futures in the profession were defended and secured by creating a vision for legislation and regulation. The AOP said it was important it had the ability to anticipate, prepare and respond to Opticians Act changes.
To deliver change, the AOP outlined it would drive engagement with the GOC about its understanding of the current scope of the Opticians Act by engaging with members and stakeholders to provide feedback. One of the actions detailed was to interrogate the principles behind any approach to delegation of responsibility for refraction and set a position for the future. It would lead discussions with employers and maintain engagement with government policy and plans for healthcare regulatory reform.
The AOP commented that success in this area would derive from an evidence-based strategy endorsed by members, optical businesses and external stakeholders. It added that success would also come from any legislative change that reflected the AOP’s strategy.
When it came to building external influence and policy-making, the AOP wanted to be recognised outside of the profession as the most influential voice in optometry. It would ensure that any messages around awareness and promotion of the sector were designed to have a big impact.
The AOP said it was important to grow its influence to system leaders and the public to promote the sector’s healthcare and retail activities.
Outlining the action it would take, the AOP said it would commission market research projects to understand how ECPs viewed the future of the profession and how they expected their role or career path to change. In addition, it would increase its understanding of the public’s perception of optometry to identify priorities and shape its arguments in external affairs.
Case studies would be used to highlight the AOP’s work and it would build relationships with employers, professional bodies and policy influencers to make itself an opinion leader for optics in primary care.
The AOP added it would widen the scope of its external affairs work that was focused on issues that were important to under-35s, such as equality, sustainability and the student experience. A public affairs function in the AOP would be built to guide its lobbying work and increase its influence with the government and political parties.
Building external influence and policy-making would be evidenced through increased media coverage and ease of accessibility to AOP opinion leadership content.
Futureproofing
The third pillar that the AOP aimed to fulfil was its role in the future of healthcare. The professional body wanted to support its members and the sector to deliver optometric services within the new integrated care commissioning and delivery model. It would ensure this could be done in a financially sustainable and clinically safe way while providing opportunities and growth for the profession.
To achieve this, the AOP would need to become a leader and catalyst for change as new healthcare systems were introduced, as well as delivering on the ambition to move more services into community-based settings and delivering care closer to home.
Activity outlined to achieve this included an analysis of the opportunities and threats in the sector, particularly the impact of a move to a focused or blended clinical model. The AOP would specifically look at; the mechanism for delivery of services, future workforce and assessment of need; data and interoperability of systems to support a new, broader clinical model beyond eye care; future funding models and tariffs; innovation and technology; as well as timescales for delivery.
The AOP would identify and advocate for the services that could move into optometry, which included eye-related and wider primary care services. Additionally, it would produce a review and understanding of risk, such as the impact of deregulation and rollout of artificial intelligence-based technologies.
Successful delivery of the third pillar would be measured by creating increased opportunity for engagement in the AOP’s clinical model to deliver optometric services within the new integrated care commissioning and delivery model.
Its fourth point of focus was economics in the optical sector and to understand the current shape of the market. This would help the AOP identify where and how it could lead the focus of clinical, non-clinical and workforce resources in response to changes in the sector.
The AOP said it would model the optometric workforce, including how many optometrists were needed for a given population based upon productivity gains from artificial intelligence. It would also model the size of the optometric workforce and changes to population size and demographics. It would undertake a review of what future optometric practice could look like, including location, mode of practice and who pays to access those services, to inform the level of income that is needed or sustainable.
Identifying key revenue streams for optometry was a further action point to direct resources to areas in greatest need. This included risk stratification and identifying how to mitigate risks that pose a threat to the future of the profession.
Other actions included modelling the size of the existing optometric workforce, as well as the future workforce if current university programmes continued. It would also look at what was needed to provide care for a growing and ageing population. The AOP would also seek to engage with optical businesses to understand plans for their revenue streams.
The last pillar focused on the AOP’s future business model and its aim to use workforce and economic modelling to create a business model that was fit for the future. It said it was important to be flexible because of changes likely to take place across the profession.
Group practice or business membership offerings would be developed by the AOP and it would consider the way practices are, or will be, structured based on services offered (ie NHS, retail or blended).
