The UK’s Association of Optometrists (AOP) has welcomed the British Labour Party’s commitment to working with primary care optometry to reduce hospital waiting times if it is elected as the next government.
Speaking at January’s Institute for Government annual conference, UK Shadow Health Minister Karin Smyth announced Labour’s intention to negotiate a deal with high-street optometrists to deliver NHS outpatient appointments. The country is facing a health crisis, including a hospital waiting list emergency, with growing numbers of patients facing avoidable and irreversible sight loss due to delays, said Adam Sampson, AOP chief executive. “Labour have quite rightly acknowledged the important role of primary eyecare services in the community in reducing the backlog.”
Fixing eyecare does not require years of investment in new facilities and staff training, said Sampson. “Optometrists on the high street have the premises, the equipment and the clinical skills to deliver accessible, high-quality eyecare. All it takes is the political vision to make sure optometry is able to provide the care patients need."
Labour’s announcement follows the UK parliament’s November 2023 invitation to the Local Optical Committee Support Unit (LOCSU) and the Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning (CCHEC) to develop a standard service specification for minor and urgent eyecare for commissioners.
Sampson strongly welcomed the request, saying the AOP has consistently called on the government to recognise that extended eyecare services delivered by primary care optometry, including minor and urgent eyecare, relieves pressure on hospital eye services, A&Es and GP appointments. “Bold thinking is needed to ensure that the scope of the services offered and the associated pricing structure are sustainable for optometry, while also meeting the needs of an ageing population,” he said. Asked whether this bold thinking included upskilling of the workforce, AOP clinical and professional director Dr Peter Hampson said the country’s optometrists are already highly skilled clinical professionals. “Effective deployment of the workforce is a key part of the solution to alleviate pressures on other areas of healthcare. While there will be scope to further upskill some optometrists, many already have skills that are significantly underutilised.”
