Integrated care systems: what they mean for optometrists
31 October 2022
Acuity digital
Integrated care systems became legal entities in England in July 2022. Kathy Oxtoby looks at how these changes will affect the profession.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on the UK population’s eye health and on eye health services. In 2020, 4.3 million fewer people had an eye examination compared with 2019 – a 23% decline. Referrals to the hospital eye service dropped by 316,000 in March to December 2020 – a 28% decrease from the same period in 2019 (Specsavers, 2021).
Researchers also found the backlog of services was likely to result in significant costs for people with sight-threatening conditions, who – while they are waiting to be seen – live with a greater risk of falls and fear of further vision loss, and experience productivity losses and reduced quality of life (Specsavers, 2021).
However, changes in how the NHS commissions its services and where it treats patients may help tackle some of these backlogs in the future.
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Related further reading
The College, The Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) and the Federation of Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians (FODO) back the Government’s commitment to put patients in the driving seat and give them more control and choice over their care.
One thing is certain: I wasn’t expecting the events of the last 10 weeks to take place when I wrote my last Optometry in Practice editorial in February this year.
We are asking the public to make eye health a priority in 2025 and provide top tips for good eye health.