Professional Matters Optometry & Dispensing
AOP welcomes report calling for greater use of High Street optometry to cut eye care backlog
AOP welcomes report calling for greater use of High Street optometry to cut eye care backlog
85% of patients waiting for NHS specialist eye care back better use of community eye care to tackle long wait times, Healthwatch data shows
The Association of Optometrists (AOP) welcomes recommendations set out by Healthwatch England in their report A strain on sight: waiting for NHS eyecare on the need for greater use of community eye care teams to cut waiting times.
The report is in response to findings from over 1,000 patients who are currently waiting for specialist eye care appointments in England.
Chief Executive of the AOP, Adam Sampson said: “Too long, we have been in a desperate situation where patients are losing their sight as they wait for treatment. This report from Healthwatch is an urgent reminder that this is the last chance to act for many patients – but shows there is an immediate fix.
“Community optometry has been recognised by the Government as the right solution to solve this health emergency. Our work over the past year, including our co-commissioned PA Consulting report, highlights that optometrists are ready to provide the clinical services that are needed to cut waiting times, while also bringing care closer to home for patients via a network of 6,000 High Street opticians across the UK.
“England is the only country in the UK that has no plan for eye care. This must change. We continue to call for a national framework for eye care that must include services for glaucoma and cataract to end the unacceptable postcode lottery. We must make sure patients get the care they need in their local High Street Optician, when they need it, so that avoidable sight loss is consigned to history.
“To achieve this goal, we need the Government to continue to focus on their commitment to the three big health shifts as outlined by Lord Darzi. Crucially, this includes delivering on the promise to rebalance the share of funding, driving more investment into primary eye care services, alongside pharmacy, dentistry, and general practice.”
Healthwatch’s findings also show that among those patients waiting for specialist eye care, 70% reported a “decline in sight” as the waited treatment, while over half said the wait “impacts work, daily activities or mental health.”
Pam Perceval-Maxwell, 76, who developed wet age-related macular degeneration in 2021 in her only good eye, requires regular injections. The first two injections happened within a four-week period, as required, but since then there have been delays of 12 and eight weeks, causing a rapid decline in her sight, and an examination showed vision has been lost.
Ms Perceval-Maxwell said: “I’m terrified I will lose my sight entirely. When your consultant stresses how important it is to have the injections on time but you can’t get an appointment it’s such a worry. I regularly call to see if there is a cancellation but I ask myself how much longer I can I cope with it,” she said.
According to the latest figures from NHS England, nearly 600,000 people are currently waiting for an ophthalmology appointment, which is one of the largest backlogs.
The AOP launched its Sight won’t wait campaign which demands immediate action on the eye care waiting list emergency: www.aop.org.uk/sightwontwait
Comment from Giles Edmonds (Specsavers)
Giles Edmonds, clinical services director at Specsavers, says: ‘This report by Healthwatch England is a timely contribution to the debate over healthcare as the Westminster government considers its 10-year plan for the NHS in England.
‘We welcome the call for a greater role for community optometry.
‘Our expert clinicians and teams already provide important access to eye care closer to home, but are ready and able to do more. That includes delivering an expansion of NHS-commissioned glaucoma services like we see in Scotland and Wales. Such services will not only better serve patients but also ease pressure on NHS hospitals. We will study the report in detail.’
Comments from College
The College of Optometrists welcomes Healthwatch England’s recommendations to commission more optometry services within primary care to reduce hospital waiting times and improve patient outcomes
Professor Irene Ctori FCOptom, Vice-President of The College of Optometrists, commented: “Healthwatch England’s new report shines the spotlight on the unsustainable waiting times for ophthalmology treatment and the critical need for the NHS to deliver on its pledge to shift focus from secondary to primary care for eye care services in England. This will reduce hospital waiting times, reduce reliance on GPs, and enable patients to access the right eye care, at the right time, closer to home.
“The report also identifies the strong public support for optometrists to play a more significant role in helping those needing specialist eye care, demonstrating the public’s trust in their local optometrist. Optometrists have the necessary clinical skills to provide more NHS services than they are currently commissioned to do in England. The College of Optometrists has been championing better utilisation of optometrists and investment in the optometry workforce for many years. We must follow the lead of Wales and Scotland by commissioning more optometry services in primary care in England to improve patient care and prevent avoidable sight loss.
“The College also welcomes the report’s support for optometrists to be First Contact Practitioners. The findings demonstrate public support for expanding the role optometrists play in referring eye conditions and maintaining them following further consultation, enabling optometrists to provide a comprehensive primary eye care service for patients.”
