HAs have 'vital role' in primary care groups

Health minister John Denham has said health authorities (HAs) are in a unique position to encourage primary care groups (PCGs), the Government initiative involving optometrists. Mr Denham was speaking at the launch of a Department of Health document, Leadership for Health: The Health Authority Role last week. It follows another DoH report aimed at modernising the Health Service, The New NHS: Modern, Dependable published in 1997. 'A critically important role will be to empower primary care groups and trusts to drive improvements in care,' Mr Denham said. 'Health authorities must now embrace the modernising vision and enable all parts of the NHS to play their full part in realising that vision,' he added. Croydon optometrist Chris Kerr, himself involved in a primary care group, welcomed the minister's address. 'Up and down the country local optical committees are working with PCGs, and there are some PCGs which have ad-hoc optometric membership on their management committees,' he said. 'From the point of view of optometry, PCGs create an enormous opportunity in marketing the profession to others, and the health authorities' role is to facilitate meetings to encourage this.' Mr Kerr is involved in a Croydon primary care group which is about to allow optometrists, with referral guidelines, to screen all the area's referrals to prevent unnecessary presentations to hospital eye departments.