In October 2023, I wrote a column in this magazine about the importance of winning over hearts and minds with some reasonably eloquent musings about Leana Wen, an award-winning author and columnist, Professor of Public Health and emergency physician.
I implored you all to look at what you could do to make a difference and raise the awareness of what we do as a profession with everyone that you meet and, notably for this column, locally elected representatives or those hoping to be elected in the future.
All this was done against a backdrop of my impending attendance at both the Conservative and Labour Party conferences with some likeminded colleagues to try to spread the word about the potential of our sector.
This also gave us the opportunity to see a huge cross-section of the public, councillors, advisers, candidates, sitting parliamentarians, members of the House of Lords and all the entourages you’d expect.
Many who saw the Eye Health Strategy Bill for England, championed by Marsha de Cordova MP, as a great hope were disappointed when it became clear that it would not have its second reading until at least 2024 due to a quirk of parliamentary timing.
The fact it reached this stage at all is significant progress – such a bill hasn’t been presented for many years. However, since then there has been a clear and unequivocal message from the Labour Party that all Marsha’s campaigning did not fall on deaf ears.
Karin Smyth MP, shadow minister for health, told the Institute for Government that the Labour Party saw a national deal to deliver more outpatient care in optometry practices as a clear policy goal.
She made this announcement on behalf of Wes Streeting, shadow secretary of state for health and social care. They have cottoned on to what many of us have known for more than a decade.
The current model is unsustainable and optometry is one of the biggest potential solutions. With 620,000 patients currently waiting for NHS eye care, 17,000 waiting more than a year and hundreds of patients losing their eyesight due to delayed appointments.
With a general election imminent and Labour poised, according to most polls, to sweep to victory then this should be a key opportunity. So, what to do? Well, I think it is time to write to your MP and tell them how much you would support this being in their party manifesto.
A party’s manifesto is a document that publicises promises to the electorate that they should have a duty to keep but do not always adhere to – don’t get me started.
It is time to write to the offices of your local party HQ to impress on them what an important issue this is. Invite them to visit you, speak to you – get access to the incumbent MP and perhaps the shortlist of party candidates, the local chair etc, to get this issue heard and not swept aside. Here are some quick starting points:
- members.parliament.uk/findyourmp
- conservatives.com/contact
- labour.org.uk/contact/renewals-share-your-thoughts/
- libdems.org.uk/in-your-community
While this was a Labour announcement, this does not stop it being adopted as a policy by all the major parties in England. The devolved administrations have certainly long since woken up, which is why this column focuses on the need for change in England.
As usual, I’m really interested to see how the sector bodies step up to make the most of this opportunity. Will Local Optical Committees use their funding to develop the right kind of narrative to engage support at a local level? It is certainly within scope of the General Ophthalmic Services levy.
It is time for everyone to pull in the same direction. The outcome may not be perfect, but it will be progress for us as a sector. Crucially, it will help to streamline and optimise services to reduce those coming to harm. Isn’t that worth some of your time?
- Paul Morris is director of professional advancement at Specsavers UK & Ireland.