A project by UK Vision Strategy in local areas has successfully lifted eye health and sight loss up the agenda of three Clinical Commissioning Groups.
An independent evaluation of its Commissioning for Effectiveness and Efficiency (CEE) project found it had ‘successfully influenced commissioning intentions and contributed to improving the local provision of eye care services’.
The two-year pilot scheme worked within Gateshead, Bedford and South Devon and Torbay to develop sustainable collaborative commissioning of eye health and sight loss services.
In Gateshead eye health was included in commissioning intentions for 2014/15, while in South Devon and Torbay it was included as part of the falls prevention strategy and Bedford saw improved referral arrangements between primary and secondary eye health services.
Steve Kirk, vice-chair of Gateshead CCG, said: ‘This collaborative approach promotes a patient-centred and evidence-based whole systems model to commissioning that can be applied to areas wider than eye health.’
CEE guidance and a set of support tools was to launch at an interactive session at the Commissioning Live event in Manchester on November 18, a statement added.