Community optometry addresses NHS challenges in new report
Community optometry is ready and able to support the NHS address multiple challenges – including the ‘health catastrophe’ of homelessness -
That’s the message from Specsavers after a report into the state of the NHS in England by former health minister and surgeon Lord Ara Darzi was published after being commissioned by Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting.
Access to care
The report says patients are facing access to care challenges with NHS hospitals and GPs struggling to meet demand - resulting in long waiting times for treatment, congested A&E departments and patients finding it difficult to get GP appointments. People experiencing homelessness are facing particular problems, notes Lord Darzi.
‘Lord Darzi says that a shift to care closer to home needs to be locked in to meet the challenges facing the NHS,’ says Giles Edmonds, clinical services director at Specsavers.
‘Community optometry and audiology are absolutely part of the solution, improving access to care and easing pressures on other parts of the health service. By managing eye-related conditions in the community, primary care optometrists can save millions of GP consultations, routine hospital appointments and A&E attendances every year. Specsavers is also committed to the continuing professional development of clinicians and their teams to deliver this positive change.’
Addressing the postcode lottery
He adds that action is needed in England to address a postcode lottery to eye care with Specsavers having submitted evidence to the Darzi review. ‘A consistent commissioning and funding approach will empower optometry to do even more to free up capacity in busy hospitals and look after patients in the community.’
'Specsavers is working to improve access to eye health care for people experiencing homelessness..'
In particular, he says that an NHS-funded community minor and urgent eye care service being made available across the whole of England would have a positive impact.
‘Specsavers also supports for a single standardised national pathway integrating hospital eye services and high street opticians to enable the detection, management and monitoring of stable glaucoma in the community. This will make full use of the skills of optometrists and their clinical teams in England.’
Mr Edmonds also notes that Lord Darzi shines a light on the health impacts of homelessness and the NHS. The report says that ‘homelessness is a health catastrophe’ with people experiencing homelessness facing multiple problems in accessing care.
‘Specsavers is working to improve access to eye health care for people experiencing homelessness with our partnerships across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
‘We also continue to call for the scrapping of unnecessary barriers to eye health services for people experiencing homelessness not in receipt of state benefit and for people who cannot leave their homes unaccompanied is another important measure,’ says Mr Edmonds.