AOP calls for update to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 exemptions list

The AOP is calling for an update to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 exemptions list, in order to better match the clinical training of optometrists and dispensing opticians.

The current exemptions list has not been updated since 2005, the AOP said, leaving optometrists “hamstrung” in the treatment they can offer patients.

Revising the exemptions list would lead to better patient care, the association said, adding that the current list is “not fit for purpose.”

The AOP emphasised that some of the medicines included on the current exemptions list are no longer available, whilst others have been superseded or are now prohibitively expensive due to changes in the supply chain.

This means that, despite the training and level of knowledge that optometrists and dispensing opticians possess, most patients who require medication for an eye condition have to be referred to their GP.

GP prescribing data shows that there are 1.1 million prescriptions made by GPs in England every year for chloramphenicol eyedrops, a basic anti-bacterial, and approximately 600,000 prescriptions each year for sodium cromoglicate, which is used to treat allergic eye diseases such as hay fever.

This suggests that GP colleagues are using valuable appointment time that could be better used by other patients to prescribe these medications, the AOP said.

The association emphasised that this approach is inefficient, inconvenient and, for already overburdened GP colleagues, unmanageable.

The issue is compounded because where minor eye conditions services (MECS) or community urgent eye care services (CUES) are commissioned, optometrists and dispensing opticians are increasingly the first port of call for eye problems, the AOP noted.

The association is calling for a new list of entry level medicines exemptions to be published as soon as possible, and for confirmation that the list will be reviewed regularly.

Revising the list will improve the delivery of MECS and CUES, streamline patient access to medications, and increase efficiency of and reduce the pressure on GP colleagues, the AOP said.

The association has updated its policy statement on the issue.