Primary care investment with the optometry workforce at the core must be at the forefront of Labour's plans for healthcare, the Association of Optometrists (AOP) has asserted.
‘We are urging the new Government to seize the moment, to put a refocus on primary care at the heart of the health agenda. Better use of all our community-based colleagues will be vital in fixing the seismic challenges we face in the NHS,’ said Adam Sampson, chief executive of the AOP.
The Federation of Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians (Fodo) called for improved digital connectivity between primary and hospital care services and a focus on urgent eye care and glaucoma services to relieve pressure on hospitals.
In an open letter to Wes Streeting, secretary of state for health and social care, the College of Optometrists urged the government to prioritise eye health and establish optometrists as the first port of call for eye care.
Highlighting the 600,000 people on waiting lists to start NHS ophthalmology treatment, the College underlined its manifesto to provide more care to patients closer to home, prioritise a better-connected NHS and support the optometry workforce to develop specialised skills.
Elsewhere, ophthalmology provider Newmedica said it welcomed Labour’s manifesto commitment to use the independent sector to bring down NHS waiting lists and ensure patients are diagnosed and treated more quickly.
Nigel Kirkpatrick, medical director at Newmedica, said: ‘Newmedica is a proud partner of the NHS and is ready to work with our colleagues across the wider health service to deliver our mission to improve consistency of access to care.’
