The NHS 10 Year Plan: Embracing optometrists as ‘GPs of the Eyes’

THE WESTMINSTER government’s 10-year health plan for England offers the opportunity to embrace optometrists as ‘GPs of the eyes’ benefitting patients and the health service, says Specsavers.

Specsavers clinical services director Giles Edmonds says that community optometry and audiology can play a central role in delivering the vision of a neighbourhood health service, where care is shifted from hospital to community care.

‘In England, the main enabler that would unlock this shift is the national commissioning of key community and primary care services,’ he says. ‘That would follow Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland that have already adopted a national commissioning approach to extend the range of NHS eye health services in the community. The Scottish Government has also committed to commissioning a primary care audiology service.’

But a stronger voice for primary care optometry and community audiology at the decision-making tables of Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) is vital when services are commissioned.

‘The dominance of hospitals in the decision-making process within ICBs means that additional funding allocated to the NHS for this year and next has been used to clear current deficits and support additional hospital spending.

‘This undermines the Government’s commitment to shifting care from hospitals to community services and from treatment to prevention of ill-health.’

Mr Edmonds adds that Specsavers’ submission to a consultation on the 10-year plan outlines ways in which the government can deliver on its priorities for the NHS in the short to medium term. It focuses on the shift of care from hospitals to the community and the switch from a treatment-based to a prevention-based approach to health.

‘Primary care optometrists and audiologists could be playing a greater role in the prevention agenda, for example by identifying and managing conditions like glaucoma early or providing timely access to treatment for age-related hearing loss.

‘The main blockers to unlocking the full potential of optometrists and audiologists as ”GPs of the eyes and ears” are inconsistent commissioning arrangements across England and “demand management” by ICBs. One example is blocking of additional community audiology sites being opened by providers, limiting efforts to improve accessibility and reduce waiting times for patients.

‘The changes we are proposing to eye health and hearing loss care can be delivered in a matter of months, not years, and together would significantly reduce pressure on GPs, A&E departments, and hospital eye and hearing care services while hugely improving access to care.’