One would imagine, when an optometrist sells their practice, they are towards the end of their career and may be hoping for a quieter life. But for Dharmesh Patel MCOptom, practice life is just one part of a career that has taken him in directions quite different to core optometry.

“The last six or seven weeks have been the first time at any point in my career that I haven’t been a jobbing clinician or practice owner. When you train to be an optometrist, you never expect to end up doing more management and strategic work, but it’s been an interesting journey,” Dharmesh says.

It’s been an eventful journey too. After qualifying as an optometrist in 2004, Dharmesh worked in independent practice before moving into laser refractive surgery with Ultralase. Purchasing an independent practice in Stockport in 2008 saw him reconnect with a more traditional optometry route, but also opened up a whole new range of opportunities.  

“I became involved with Stockport’s LOC [local optical committee], and I was introduced to the world of policy and commissioning by the then-chairman of the Stockport LOC, Trevor Warburton FCOptom. From there, I got very interested in local commissioning and health services. In fact, I liked it so much that in 2012 I joined LOCSU [LOC Support Unit] nationally and I became a commissioning lead,” Dharmesh says.