OFNC and College of Optometrists commit to helping NHS in delivering 10-Year Health Plan

The Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee (OFNC) and the College of Optometrists will help to support the delivery of the 10-Year Health Plan, they confirmed in a statement today (22 September.)

The eye care organisations have committed to assisting in the NHS’ mission to shift outpatient eye care from hospital to the community and to make a transition from analogue to digital.

The OFNC and the College of Optometrists have also reaffirmed their commitment to preventing sight loss.

The organisations’ assistance in delivering the 10-Year Health Plan will include promoting the benefits of the NHS national sight testing service – something that the OFNC has emphasised “underpins the nation’s eye health, contributing to economic growth through good vision and preventing eye disease through early identification and intervention.”

The national sight testing service is equitable and cost-effective for the NHS, the OFNC said.

The organisations will also work with the NHS to develop national commissioning frameworks for all enhanced eye care services, “to shift care out of hospital and help end the postcode lottery and inequalities patients currently suffer.”

They will also assist in bringing together subject matter experts and providers to help in the shift from analogue to digital.

It is hoped that this digital shift will help to improve access to care for patients, preventing instances of sight loss.

Improving care for all patients in England

The OFNC is the national negotiating body for eye care in England, working with the Westminster Parliament, the Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England.

The joint announcement with the College of Optometrists comes as the three main political parties begin their annual autumn conferences. The Labour Party Conference will begin in Liverpool on Sunday 28 September.

The OFNC and the College of Optometrists hope that the work carried out will help to improve outcomes for all patients in England.

“In all we do we will make the case for rebalancing NHS expenditure and correcting the underinvestment in NHS primary eye care services,” the OFNC and the College of Optometrists said in their statement.

“Without sustainable funding for these services, people will continue to suffer from avoidable harms due to over reliance on inefficient hospital models of care.”

“This will include appropriate funding for the NHS eye testing service, enhanced services, and IT solutions so that it is possible for practices to meet local needs,” the organisations added.

The right funding models would “empower the optometrists and dispensing opticians who are already a fundamental part of neighbourhoods and communities across England,” the statement said.

The OFNC and the College emphasised that community optometry practices have existing infrastructure and already have clinicians with the core clinical skills required to treat more patients outside hospital, preventing avoidable sight loss caused by delays in hospital care.

“By delivering more eye care services on the High Street or in patients’ homes, we can meet patients’ eye care needs more rapidly and in a more personalised way and ensure that people go to hospital only when they absolutely need to,” the organisations said, adding: “This will be better for patients and better for the NHS and taxpayers.”