Broadening our role in primary care

The recent five year plan to make NHS services more efficient and cost effective makes much of the role of primary care services. This makes complete sense to me and also provides eye care professionals with a significant opportunity. The cost of GP or ophthalmology appointments is significant and there really should be no excuse for time being spent assessing either self-limiting conditions or those that eye care practitioners are perfectly qualified and able to manage and treat. Add to that, primary care community practices are easily accessible and patients typically attend regularly , as indeed they may do for dental, podiatric and other allied health appointments.