Optometrist becomes PCG board member

One of the first optometrists to be co-opted to a PCG Board in England, Mr Austen has been asked to develop co-management ophthalmic services in the Loughborough area and given 'substantial funding' to do this. 'The future for both our patients and optometry is linked to the development of shared-care or patient co-management schemes,' he said. 'If de-registration ever materialises, high-street supermarkets or anyone else with an autorefractor will not want to get involved with glaucoma monitoring, red-eye differential diagnosis, referral prioritisation, dry eye and epiphora management.' Mr Austen urged 'any concerned optometrist' to make themselves known to their local PCG and ask to attend their next board meeting, especially if the group did not have optometric input. 'I was surprised at how receptive the local board was to my ideas for the improvement of eye care facilities in the area once I explained to them in detail the capabilities of modern optometry,' Mr Austen told optician. The Government has committed itself to primary care groups. In June it allocated an extra &\#163;8.7m to London alone, instructing health authorities that the money should go to health professionals who managed local GP services in primary care groups.