In Focus: Call for improved digital communication

An update to the vision for collaboration between primary and secondary eye care professionals has been published by the College of Optometrists (College) and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth).

The bodies came together in 2020 to help transform services in England and ensure safe care during the pandemic before publishing a UK-wide joint vision in 2021. Updates in 2024 re-emphasised the guidance for the integration of services and were created to help prioritise patients based on need, while providing appropriate and accessible care.

The bodies said the vision championed multidisciplinary eye care professionals providing care, working collaboratively in primary care, community, hospital and independent sector provider settings. Joint working between the professions was essential, the bodies said, because in 2023 there were almost nine million ophthalmology outpatient attendances and over 15 million NHS sights tests in the UK.