High St opticians have key role in improving NHS, say ministers
Neighbourhood optometrists and audiologists are a key part of the NHS improving access for patients and moving care closer to home.
That’s the message from Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting and Care Minister Stephen Kinnock in response to Specsavers’ mission to take its message about eye and ear health to the Labour conference.
Both spoke about the government’s mission to transform the NHS through three critical shifts - from hospital to community, sickness to prevention and analogue to digital - and how neighbourhood optometry and audiology are critical to achieving that.
Asked about how he saw the role of community opticians and audiologists in this future NHS by Specsavers, Mr Streeting told a New Statesman fringe event:
"I think that we should work with the independent sector on the high street to improve access to health care and crucially we have got to speed up some of the referral pathways."
Supporting the NHS
Primary care minister Stephen Kinnock similarly highlighted referral pathways as an action area at a Specsavers fringe event at the conference focused on how primary care can support NHS recovery.
He also set out a vision of neighbourhood health care networks with optometry and audiology being integral to them delivering more NHS care closer to home for people and helping address the NHS ophthalmology backlog.
‘We cannot do this without business providers like Specsavers’
Talking about the government’s vision for NHS shifts, he said: ‘We cannot do this without business, providers like Specsavers and others.'
‘We have got to be ready to take on the vested interests if they get in the way of the three big shifts - hospital to community, sickness to prevention, analogue to digital.’
Speaking at the same event, Specsavers clinical services director Giles Edmonds said the sector was ready and able to do more to improve access to care for patients and support the NHS - and that it could be done at pace.
A nationally commissioned minor eye care service in England would save one million GP appointments, he said, while community glaucoma services would ease pressure on hospitals and address NHS waiting lists for this service. Meanwhile, a national primary care audiology service would help reduce the incidence of dementia by addressing adult onset hearing loss.
Mr Edmonds also highlighted how high street optometrists already have hospital quality diagnostic technology in their practices able to identify conditions faster - which was at no capital cost to taxpayer.