Regional model brings shared care progress

Eye care professionals are striving to provide more shared care schemes despite the ‘perennial backdrop of piecemeal commissioning from hard-pressed clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and a postcode lottery for patients’.

This is according to Locsu, which is encouraging its members to take a uniform approach to winning new high-street contracts.

Meanwhile, the support unit’s team of optical leads report regional momentum allowing ‘more joined-up commissioning of optometric services with neighbouring CCGs setting up similar services that span into regional clusters’.

The trend of regional LOC companies, starting in Greater Manchester in 2014, has seen the model flourish and secure pathways particularly in the north of England and the Midlands, according to Locsu.