Moneo writes: Let youth decide the course of optometry’s future

The NHS is now celebrating 70 years of its existence. At the same time we see the announcement from the government of a massive spending increase for the NHS. Does this signal anything of importance for us in optometry? Categorically ‘yes’.

Just over 70 years ago our negotiators were arguing for our role in the NHS. It is their efforts at that time that have largely given us what we know as the General Ophthalmic Services today. In fact it seems that when the rules were changed in 1989 the impact on the clinical side of our job was largely unchanged and so what we know as the GOS is largely what was agreed on in 1948. Possibly one of the largest errors was to give up our right to an NHS pension.