Data published by the King’s Fund think-tank revealed that 93% of patients were satisfied with their optometrist, compared to 71% being satisfied with their GP.
Harjit Sandhu, managing director at the Federation of Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians (Fodo), said that he was ‘incredibly proud’ that patient satisfaction levels remained so high.
‘This achievement is a testament to our members’ significant and sustained investment in the workforce and capital to ensure people do not suffer long waits for essential primary eye care services,’ he said.
However, Primary care services in a nutshell, published on April 29, also reported that there were just 10 primary eye care practices per 100,000 people in England, according to NHS data.
Less than 3% of the £17.2bn per year spent on primary care – 9.5% of the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) budget – was reportedly spent on primary eye care.
Sandhu said that Fodo would launch a public affairs initiative calling for better IT connectivity between eye care services and making the case for expanding enhanced eye care.