Community optometrists have a key role in improving NHS, say ministers

Neighbourhood optometrists and audiologists are central to making the NHS better for patients, with action needed to speed up referral pathways.

Specsavers Fringe Event at Labour Conference

That’s the message from Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting and Primary Care Minister Stephen Kinnock in response to Specsavers’ call for improved access to eye and hearing community-based care.

Both spoke about the government’s mission to transform the NHS at the Labour Party Conference through three critical shifts – from hospital to community, sickness to prevention and analogue to digital – and how neighbourhood optometry and audiology are critical to achieving that.

Asked about how he saw the role of community opticians and audiologists in this future NHS, Mr Streeting told a New Statesman fringe event: ‘I do think high street opticians and audiologists can really help us.

‘I think that we should work with the independent sector on the high street to improve access to health care and crucially we have got to speed up some of the referral pathways.’

Mr Streeting highlighted the process of when a local optometrist identified a problem in a patient’s eye that needed a secondary care specialist. He said it was ‘daft’ that the patient had to be referred by the GP for them to then be referred on to secondary care.

It was a waste of everyone’s time, he added, and a ‘lack of respect’ for trained optometrists.

Primary care minister Stephen Kinnock also highlighted referral pathways as an action area at a Specsavers fringe event at the conference, which focused on how primary care can support NHS recovery.

He also set out a vision of neighbourhood health care networks, with optometry and audiology being integral to the delivery of NHS care closer to home to help address the NHS ophthalmology backlog.

Talking about the government’s vision for NHS shifts, he said: ‘We cannot do this without business, providers like Specsavers and others.

‘We have got to be ready to take on the vested interests if they get in the way of the three big shifts – hospital to community, sickness to prevention, analogue to digital.’

Speaking at the fringe event, Specsavers clinical services director Giles Edmonds said the sector was ready and able to do more to improve access to care for patients to support the NHS and that it could be done at pace.

A nationally commissioned minor eye care service in England would save millions of GP appointments and A&E attendances, he said, while community glaucoma services would ease pressure on hospitals and address NHS waiting lists. Meanwhile, a national primary care audiology service would help reduce dementia risk by addressing hearing loss.

Mr Edmonds also highlighted how high street optometrists already have hospital quality diagnostic technology in their practices able to identify conditions faster – which was at no capital cost to the taxpayer.