Half of practices offer primary care services

Over half of optical practices are already offering community services and 80 per cent are aware of the reforms that took effect in April to NHS commissioning of primary eye care services at a local level, according to research carried out for the Local Optical Committee Support Unit.

Since April of this year the structure of NHS primary eye care services has changed, with GPs within clinical commissioning groups taking a lead role. The survey, carried out by Optician and supported by an educational grant from Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK, showed that 51 per cent of practices were already involved in such schemes and that sentiment towards them was generally favourable.