Tougher times call for better communicators

Despite facing a difficult 2010, practices must not cut back on areas which would directly impact on their ability to offer patient care or patient choice, advised Sightcare chief executive Paul Surridge.

Envisaging a tough year for many practices, particularly the parts of the UK hardest hit by job losses and public sector cuts, Surridge listed management and staff training, public relations and general marketing as areas in which it was essential that practices did not cut back on expenditure.

Even practices located in more affluent areas would face difficulties increasing or maintaining dispensing values, according to Surridge.

Revealing what he believed would be the key factors in determining how successful practices would be in 2010, he explained: 'Maintaining solid relationships with existing patients will be crucial and far more important than seeking new ones. Differentiation, that often used word, really is important as consumers interrogate their spending habits and values. Being different is not enough in itself to guarantee success. Practices will need to communicate their offering effectively in their communities.'