Eye care in Wales and Scotland avoids cuts

The optical professions in Scotland and Wales have come through last week's draft budgets with spending on optical services intact.

In Scotland £93m is planned for GOS in 2011/12, versus £88m in 2010/11, while in Wales optical spend remains steady in spite of a cut in total health spending in real terms.

Sali Davis, CEO for Optometry Wales, said the Welsh profession was not surprised by the Assembly budget. 'In preparation for this, OW sought to establish good working relationships with the newly created health boards, sharing with their senior management teams how optometry can make savings to their budgets and improving services for the patient by investing in local enhanced services. Despite commitment from the current Labour government in Wales that the profession will have a contract to bring Wales in line with its counterparts in Scotland and England, we recognise that this will not happen just yet.'