11 August 2016
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11 August 2016
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Comments (2)
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Anonymous12 September 2016
Unfortunately optometrists are being asked to do more and more in practice without being appropriately recompensed. This is the main barrier for myself and colleagues.
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Anonymous14 August 2016
100% endorsement. I have been IP since 2012 and we will shortly have 3 other IP in our practice. Its fundamentally part of our business plan and built into every development we make. The lack of NHS prescribing is of minimal inconvenience because the price of medicines for treatment of acute conditions is so low. Its really only relevant in chronic conditions many of which are co-managed between HES-GP and IP optometrist anyway. The cost of training is recouped inside 18/12 and to be honest the amount of time involved is no more than a professional ought to be spending on career development. Yes there is an issue with HES optometry and ophthalmology recalcitrance in offering places but they can be persuaded its really in their best interest. Ultimately, there is only one real barrier and that is the mindset of many if not most optometrists. In every other jurisdiction with therapeutics legislation (USA, NZ, Australia, Canada) the majority of registered optometrists retrain in a very short time, not least because the courses are introduced into undergraduate courses and so existing practitioners are rapidly left behind if they don't. I think its tragic that after 7 years we have such a low number of practitioners, yet such an interest in MECS and PEARS which really only come alive with IP. Please don't be put off. There is time to enrol on the October start courses and start persuading your local eye units to support you. It make such a difference to be able to say to a patient; "we'll just treat that and save a wait in Casualty" If you have EVER sent a patient to a GP with a suggestion to prescribe this and I'll monitor, then you are a prime candidate for IP.
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