The review of the GOS in England has started in earnest with a series of questions posed by the Department of Health to the optical bodies and other interested parties.
Efforts to break down red tape and other barriers to improved integration of services across primary and secondary care are included, as well as whether changes will affect the remit of LOCs are included.
Newly appointed project manager from the Department of Health for the GOS review, Dr Dilip Chauhan from the DoH has authored the preliminary set of questions, and the optical group's are likely to use the policy document Primary Eyecare in England - A Vision for the Future they delivered to Richmond House last year (News, November 4).
The list of eight questions are intended to get some initial feedback from stakeholders before the review takes place in detail.
The full list of questions are:
- What are your views on the scope for reducing pressure on secondary care by expanding the use of primary care, and in which areas of service provision could an enhanced role for primary care be most effective? Which professional/staff groups would be involved in delivering this? What would be the benefits to patients? We would be interested in seeing any illustrative patient pathways
- Related to question 1, how should patients access services and how would this vary from one service to another? For example, if a patient had a red eye should they contact the GP first and be put in touch with an optometrist who was linked in some way to the practice, or would they just contact any optometrist and ask for an appointment?
- What do you see as the barriers to increasing the volume and/or range of eye care undertaken in primary care? What enabling factors or incentives need to be present?
- Related to question 2, how do you see the NHS reforms (such as practice-based commissioning) enabling change to happen? What needs to be done nationally and locally to ensure that the reforms can help to further the aims and principles of the GOS review?
- If additional work is undertaken in primary care, how can patient choice of eye care provider be extended while also maintaining clinical standards and quality?
- What are the barriers to better integration of services across primary, secondary and social care and how might they be overcome
- If the amount and/or range of eye care undertaken in primary care is increased does the composition and remit of local optical committees need to be changed? And, if so, how?