Experts have reacted to plans to reform the NHS to shift care
from hospitals to the community announced today by , Labour’s Shadow Health
Minister, in a speech given to the Institute for Government.
These include a commitment to negotiate with high street
opticians deliver NHS outpatient appointments to free up hospital
specialists to treat the patients in serious need, all at greater
convenience to patients. As these are routine appointments, it
will be less expensive to the taxpayer for them to be delivered
on the high street than in hospital.
Giles Edmonds, Clinical Services Director, Specsavers
said:
“NHS Primary Care Optometrists are the “GPs of the
eye” but there is so much more we could do to protect our
patients’ sight, keep them safe and well, and take pressure of
hospital services. As a leading provider of NHS Primary Care
Ophthalmic services we welcome the Labour Party’s plan to make
greater use of high street optometry services to cut waiting
lists and provide more accessible and convenient care for
patients, and stand ready to partner with NHS hospital eye
services to improve patient care”
Adam Sampson, Chief Executive of the Association of
Optometrists said:
"We welcome the Labour Party’s announcement on the
importance of primary eye care services. We are facing a health
crisis in this country. This includes a hospital waiting list
emergency, with growing numbers of patients facing avoidable and
irreversible sight loss due to delays. But fixing eye care does
not require years of investment in new facilities and staff
training. Optometrists on the high street have the premises, the
equipment and the clinical skills to deliver accessible,
high-quality eyecare for patients. All it takes is the political
vision to make sure optometry is able to provide the care
patients need."
Professor Ben Burton, President of the Royal College of
Ophthalmologists said:
“Last year there were almost 9 million
ophthalmology outpatient attendances and 15 million NHS sight
tests across the UK. With this demand set to grow even higher as
our population ages, it is essential that ophthalmology and
optometry are supported to deliver more integrated care. While
expanding ophthalmology infrastructure and workforce capacity is
essential and must be prioritised, we should also be making
better use of the existing expertise and facilities in high
street optical practices to manage stable, chronic
conditions. The Labour Party’s announcement today is
therefore a positive commitment to supporting eye care patients
and we would offer our clinical expertise to shape this policy if
delivered in government.”
Harjit Sandhu, managing director at FODO, the Association
for Eye Care Providers, said:
“We welcome the Labour Party’s call to action to
make greater use of high street opticians to cut waiting lists
and provide more convenient care for patients. Hospital
colleagues in ophthalmology are under unsustainable pressure and
patients are suffering avoidable sight loss due to delays in
care. Primary eye care providers are happy to help in any way we
can to provide more care outside of hospital and closer to home.
Working together we can meet growing patient needs in a more
sustainable way and most importantly help prevent sight loss due
to delays in care.”
Professor Leon Davies FCOptom, President of The College
of Optometrists said:
“The College of Optometrists welcomes Labour's
proposed initiative to improve eye care delivery, while
ensuring excellent patient care and reducing unnecessary sight
loss. Enhanced national services that effectively
utilise the full skills and competencies of optometrists and
colleagues working in primary eye care would reduce the burden on
current NHS hospital services and result in better outcomes for
patients. We encourage all health decision-makers to continue to
engage with us and other professional bodies, to achieve a
well-informed strategy for eye health care that ensures all
patients in England can access care close to home and without
long waits.”
