Optical bodies write open letter to NHS England

Optical bodies have jointly written an open letter to NHS England to highlight delays in the provision of IT connectivity between optical practices and the wider NHS.

ABDO, AOP, FODO and Locsu asked that the NHS prioritise expenditure required for the IT connectivity from current budgets in 2019/20 to avoid a need to rely on an end of year underspend.

The letter reads: 'We are writing to you urgently on behalf of the representative bodies for the community optical sector. Our members are one of the pillars of NHS primary care, delivering 13 million sight tests and many other NHS services in the community every year. They also have the potential to provide much more NHS care in primary settings in future. That is a key aim of the Long Term Plan, and would relieve the growing pressure on hospital eye services, the largest out-patient specialism by volume in the country. However, we are concerned and frustrated that it is being needlessly jeopardised by ongoing delays in providing IT connectivity between optical practices and the rest of the NHS.