Perhaps best known for its ‘golden amber’ cider-making, the cathedral city of Hereford has been the market and commercial centre for Herefordshire farming communities for hundreds of years. Although the county itself remains rural, Hereford city centre is benefitting from the development of a new retail sector and university.
‘Patients in Hereford tend to travel far and wide to visit the practice,’ says Specsavers Hereford director Darren Smith. ‘We have a mix of English, Welsh and Scots as well as a large Eastern European contingent. This diversity is embraced locally and leads to a cosmopolitan feel.’
Hereford’s main industries help add to the diversity of patients. ‘We look after the eyesight of farmers who provide the local brewing plant with the hops for their beer, and more importantly the apples to all of the local cider mills. As Hereford is home to the SAS, we regularly welcome our elite servicemen ensuring they are fit for battle.’
Smith is chair of Hereford LOC, which has established good links with the hospital eye department. He says: ‘The LOC has used our platform to build a relationship with the local CCG and we currently have seven enhanced community services in the county. This leads to a varied and interesting working life and allows all optometrists working in the county to lead the way in primary eyecare.’
Hereford LOC hosts an annual seminar as well as stakeholder meetings which are attended by a range of eye care professionals. Smith says: ‘All of our local optometry practices get on very well. Our meetings allow an open forum to discuss the current state of eye care in the county and how we may drive it going forward.’
Independent practice BBR Optometry runs several enhanced service clinics including low vision and orthokeratology. Chairman Nick Rumney (pictured left) says: ‘Our vision as optometrists is to be GPs of the eye, which the CCG recognises and supports and it works well. Those working in the eye hospitals are extremely supportive of optometrists in local eye events, they see us an asset and not a threat.
‘Plus, the geographical area of the county is the same as the CCG and local authority so we don’t have any border disputes when it comes to delivering services.’
BBR Optometry does not try to compete with the mulitples on price, particularly when delivering its enhanced services. ‘It’s down to us to charge appropriately and we make it absolutely clear that many of the services we do have to be privately funded. Our starting examination fee is £71 and patients are charged differently depending on who they see,’ says Rumney.
‘When the fee difference is that much and not just a few pounds the patient understands you are really offering something different.’
Who’s in town?
Total: 4
Independents: 1
Multiples: 3
Average cost
Prices for an eye examination range from £20-£71. The average cost is £35.
Population - see pie chart
Total population: 188,100, Hereford: 58,900
Community eye care
According to the Locsu Atlas Map of Optical Variation, Herefordshire Local Optical Committee has secured a contract for NHS Herefordshire CCG in cataract post-op and referral, children’s vision, glaucoma referral refinement, low vision, OHT monitoring and a minor eye conditions service.
Health and affluence
- The average house price in Hereford is £196,001 (Rightmove, 2016) compared with an average of £216,750 for England and Wales (Land Registry, 2016).
- NHS expenditure on vision problems in Herefordshire per person is £112, compared with the UK average of £89 (RNIB).
- 1,580 patients live in Herefordshire with late stage wet AMD and 770 with dry AMD (RNIB).
- There are about 2,460 people living in Herefordshire who have cataract, 1,900 people with glaucoma and 13,330 with diabetes. Some 3,820 have diabetic retinopathy.
Fun facts
Hereford United set a new record in 1992 when the team had four players sent off in one match.
Muppet puppeteer Frank Oz, who also created and voiced the character of Yoda in the Star Wars trilogy, was born in Hereford.
Hereford was one of the first towns founded in England after the end of Roman Rule.
The city is bidding for Capital of Culture status in 2021.
Hereford’s Bulmer’s factory is the largest cider-making factory in the world.
Hereford Cathedral dates from 1079 and contains the Mappa Mundi, above, the largest medieval map of the world in existence, dating from the 13th century.
