Shared benefit

Speaking personally, the answer is no, but it is true to say that shared care, like other aspects of optometry, will not interest everyone. I examine eyes, supply spectacles, fit contact lenses and am involved in shared care. Some aspects are more profitable than others but, taken in the round, I make a good living and I enjoy the variety, which keeps my professional life interesting and enjoyable. Some practitioners do not fit contact lenses, many do not dispense spectacles and some have no interest in shared care. However, if I did not fit contact lenses I would expect to lose patients to someone who did. If I do not stock the designer frame required by my patient I may well lose a sale. There is necessarily a degree of direction involved with shared care schemes. Those who are not involved may lose patients to those who are, leaving them free to concentrate on other aspects of their business. Trevor Warburton Stockport, Cheshire