The strain on the NHS budget, appointment backlogs and patient concerns are rarely out of the headlines. With news last week of the backlog of 2,000 hospital eye appointments in Cornwall – there has never been a better time for both the AOP and the profession to present a united approach to this issue, focusing on how optometry is perfectly placed to provide community eye health services.
Our new policy position on community eye health services spells out how optometry can significantly reduce the load on secondary care, be more convenient for patients, provide good value for money, as well as make greater use of optometry skills. We believe optometrists are the perfect solution and optical practices can address the pressures on secondary care.
Following a recent call from the BBC about the backlog of eye appointments in Cornwall, we worked with the Local Optical Committee Support Unit (Locsu) to promote community optical practices and the role that optometrists play to help take the pressure off hospital eye clinics. Chris McGachy, head of communications at Locsu, was interviewed on BBC One’s Spotlight – the regional news programme for the south-west of England – along with AOP member Charles Bill, chairman of the Devon Local Optical Committee.
We’ll continue to promote the benefits of community eye health services to decision-makers and encourage wider commissioning. And we’ll also lobby for a better system to achieve Independent Prescriber competencies and for reform to the prescribing system that would allow more to deliver Minor Eye Conditions Services (Mecs). We’re also encouraging members to ensure they can participate in Mecs by completing the Locsu/Wales Optometry Postgraduate Education Centre accreditation.