The College welcomes inclusion of optometry in NHS England’s strategic commissioning framework
The new framework recognises primary eye care as fundamental to NHS provision and local leadership.
“The College welcomes NHS England’s new strategic commissioning framework, which recognises primary eye care as fundamental to NHS provision and local leadership. The framework marks an important step forward for NHS commissioning, asking integrated care boards (ICBs) to focus on evidence, local needs, and high-quality, sustainable services and in encouraging optometry services to play a key role in the care pathway to improve eye health.
“The College has already taken a proactive lead in supporting commissioners to better understand the needs of eye care patients and the current and future eye care workforce to meet those needs by delivering the UK Eye Care Data Hub with partners, ensuring these key resources are accessible to decision-makers. This new framework presents a valuable opportunity to embed evidence-based, patient-centred eye care locally, strengthen the role of optometrists, and help ICBs deliver consistent, sustainable, and high-quality services for patients across the NHS.
“As the professional body for optometry, we will continue to promote the profession, support ICBs in making the best use of primary care optometrists, and collaborate with other stakeholders to influence for an increase in funding for primary eye care services.”
Dr Gillian Rudduck MCOptom, President of The College of Optometrists