D&A boss concerned by AOP's 'bold move'

'It is a bold move by the AOP,' he said. 'But it worries me because the strength of eye care delivery in the UK has been based on the foundation of the NHS, which is a duty of care and provision of service in a comprehensive sense.' He said dismantling of the eye examination was not the way forward for UK optics. The AOP document, which proposes that practitioners charge extra for some clinical procedures, has been criticised by the the Royal National Institute for the Blind (News, April 9). But in a recent development, the AOP has said it will meet the RNIB to discuss the issues raised. For some independent practitioners, however, the AOP's report has documented the extent of charges many have already introduced in the run-up to April 1's return to NHS eye examinations. Tony Round, an optometrist from Banbury, Oxfordshire asked his over-60s patients whether they would wish to continue with the level of eye examination service that his private patients were charged &\#163;22 for. 'We decided we couldn't accept &\#163;14.57, and we have been asking patients to pay the &\#163;7.43 balance between our normal private charge and Health Service charge.' He said that to date 99 per cent of patients had no objection to 'topping up' the fee. 'I qualified 30 years ago and the terms of service remain the same,' he said. 'But the skills and equipment we use for the eye examination have changed dramatically. 'The problem as I see it is that if we accept the &\#163;14.57 fee, we are saying we are doing a complete service. That fee is not likely to be realistic in future.'