Liberal Democrats adopt Eye care everywhere as party policy

The Liberal Democrats formally adopted the asks of the AOP’s Eye care everywhere campaign as policy during a vote at their party conference (Brighton Centre, 19–22 September).

The policy motion stated that the Liberal Democrats: “Support community optometry and High Street providers to deliver eye and ear care closer to home, including glaucoma monitoring, cataract pathways, urgent minor eye care, hearing aid fittings and minor ear infection treatment, reducing unnecessary GP and hospital appointments and helping people stay independent for longer.”

The AOP’s campaign aims to bring eye care close to patients’ homes, in the context of the 10-Year Health Plans pillar of moving healthcare from ‘hospital to community.’

Easier access to eye care within communities will ease pressure on emergency departments in England, the AOP has emphasised.

The association has noted that the yearly social and economic benefits of the NHS sight testing service in England is around £2 billion.

The Liberal Democrats’ Primary Healthcare Policy Paper backs a national framework for community eye care in England, greater use of High Street optometrists, and improved pathways for glaucoma, cataracts and urgent minor eye care.

Community optometry has the potential to free up around two million NHS appointments annually, the paper noted.

Helen Maguire MP, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for primary care and cancer, brought forward the motion.

Whilst acknowledging the Government’s commitment to developing neighbourhood health services, the motion expressed that the Labour Party has “utterly failed NHS primary healthcare services, and that since entering office ministers have chosen to make hospital waiting lists the political test of NHS recovery, while treating the front door of the health service without the same urgency, grip or guarantee of improvement.”

People's capability to be healthy “is largely determined by the quality of the NHS primary care system,” the motion said.

The full policy motion, entitled Patient-Centred, Accessible and Preventive: A Liberal Vision for Primary Health Care (Primary Healthcare Policy Paper), can be viewed online.

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