That was the message from a lively debate at this week's National Optometric Policy Conference, held at The Belfry Hotel, near Birmingham on Wednesday (October 8).
Speaking on clinical pathways for optometry Trevor Warburton (Stockport LOC) said national negotiation for funding no longer took place and funding had to be secured at a local level.
Elizabeth Frost (Sutton and Merton) agreed that funding was a major problem. Hospitals took the view that optometrists did everything for nothing she said.
Bedford optometrist Simon Browning highlighted the issue of under-funding within PCTs. Bedford PCT was over £5m under-funded before any new schemes had even been considered. The PCT simply could not afford everything on the Government's agenda he said.
Ian Hunter, chief executive of the AOP, said it was down to the profession to press for funding and he said he had been assured by the DoH that the money was there.
Charles Wass (Pennine) said he was fed up with the idea that optometrists should do more for less. 'If they don't want to pay us, I don't want to do it,' he said to applause from the audience.
However, Malcolm Gray (Staffordshire) said: 'It's a golden opportunity to take primary eye care forward.' Even if some bids for financing optometric projects failed, he said PCTs could often manage to source funding through other areas. His message was that optometrists should get more involved in PCTs to benefit their work and their profession.
David Austin (Leicestershire) gave an example of how local schemes could be set up. In his local area a successful GP referral scheme had led to prescribing by selected optometrists.
Later in the day the conference debated charging GOS patients for extra optometric services, with Peter Bishop (partner, Bishop & Rumney Optometrists) and Paul Carroll (director of professional services, Specsavers) leading the discussion, respectively for and against the proposal.
chris.bennettrbi.co.ukThe profession has to take the initiative to secure funding from primary care trusts if it wants to take part in primary eye care.
That was the message from a lively debate at this week's National Optometric Policy Conference, held at The Belfry Hotel, near Birmingham on Wednesday (October 8).
Speaking on clinical pathways for optometry Trevor Warburton (Stockport LOC) said national negotiation for funding no longer took place and funding had to be secured at a local level.
Elizabeth Frost (Sutton and Merton) agreed that funding was a major problem. Hospitals took the view that optometrists did everything for nothing she said.
Bedford optometrist Simon Browning highlighted the issue of under-funding within PCTs. Bedford PCT was over £5m under-funded before any new schemes had even been considered. The PCT simply could not afford everything on the Government's agenda he said.
Ian Hunter, chief executive of the AOP, said it was down to the profession to press for funding and he said he had been assured by the DoH that the money was there.
Charles Wass (Pennine) said he was fed up with the idea that optometrists should do more for less. 'If they don't want to pay us, I don't want to do it,' he said to applause from the audience.
However, Malcolm Gray (Staffordshire) said: 'It's a golden opportunity to take primary eye care forward.' Even if some bids for financing optometric projects failed, he said PCTs could often manage to source funding through other areas. His message was that optometrists should get more involved in PCTs to benefit their work and their profession.
David Austin (Leicestershire) gave an example of how local schemes could be set up. In his local area a successful GP referral scheme had led to prescribing by selected optometrists.
Later in the day the conference debated charging GOS patients for extra optometric services, with Peter Bishop (partner, Bishop & Rumney Optometrists) and Paul Carroll (director of professional services, Specsavers) leading the discussion, respectively for and against the proposal.
chris.bennettrbi.co.ukThe profession has to take the initiative to secure funding from primary care trusts if it wants to take part in primary eye care.
That was the message from a lively debate at this week's National Optometric Policy Conference, held at The Belfry Hotel, near Birmingham on Wednesday (October 8).
Speaking on clinical pathways for optometry Trevor Warburton (Stockport LOC) said national negotiation for funding no longer took place and funding had to be secured at a local level.
Elizabeth Frost (Sutton and Merton) agreed that funding was a major problem. Hospitals took the view that optometrists did everything for nothing she said.
Bedford optometrist Simon Browning highlighted the issue of under-funding within PCTs. Bedford PCT was over £5m under-funded before any new schemes had even been considered. The PCT simply could not afford everything on the Government's agenda he said.
Ian Hunter, chief executive of the AOP, said it was down to the profession to press for funding and he said he had been assured by the DoH that the money was there.
Charles Wass (Pennine) said he was fed up with the idea that optometrists should do more for less. 'If they don't want to pay us, I don't want to do it,' he said to applause from the audience.
However, Malcolm Gray (Staffordshire) said: 'It's a golden opportunity to take primary eye care forward.' Even if some bids for financing optometric projects failed, he said PCTs could often manage to source funding through other areas. His message was that optometrists should get more involved in PCTs to benefit their work and their profession.
David Austin (Leicestershire) gave an example of how local schemes could be set up. In his local area a successful GP referral scheme had led to prescribing by selected optometrists.
Later in the day the conference debated charging GOS patients for extra optometric services, with Peter Bishop (partner, Bishop & Rumney Optometrists) and Paul Carroll (director of professional services, Specsavers) leading the discussion, respectively for and against the proposal.
chris.bennettrbi.co.uk
The profession has to take the initiative to secure funding from primary care trusts if it wants to take part in primary eye care.