It must be hard for the those in the optometric sector to read about Rishi Sunak’s primary care ‘recovery plan,’ and not think, ‘but what about us?’ The basic crux of the idea is to mobilise pharmacists to be the first port of call for patients suffering from things like earache, sore throat, or urinary tract infections.
For the first time, patients will be able to get prescription medication for these conditions from pharmacists without the need for a GP appointment. Doctors will be asked to participate in online triaging services to direct patients to the most appropriate care. It was expected that some 15 million face-to-face GP appointments would be freed up over the next two years.
We’ve known for years that high street optometry has the potential to ease the burden on the NHS and ophthalmology departments and it has long been the case that, all too often, patients visit GPs for minor eye conditions. To me, it seemed like a perfect opportunity for the Prime Minister to embrace optometry and put it to good use.
So why was there no mention? When you’ve lost some 1,000 seats in local council elections, a dead cat bounce is needed, and slogans like ‘We’re getting rid of the 8am rush for GP appointments’, speak to the electorate on a level they understand and can relate to. ‘We’re cutting the 650,000-people long ophthalmology waiting list’, just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
The reality is that the nation’s health services are being used by Westminster tacticians as potential vote-winners for a general election the current government incumbents look likely to lose. Implementing such a plan within two years assumes that all is rosy in the NHS garden, with no pay issues, IT infrastructure problems or flatlining investment.
In all honesty, I think optometry is better watching from the side-lines for the next 18 months to try and become more integrated in the NHS, because the last throes of a government in chaos is unlikely to provide the best footing from which to start.