05 July 2023
Today (5 July) marks the National Health Services’ (NHS) 75th anniversary. Established on July 5, 1948, the NHS was the first universal health system to be available to all, free at the point of delivery, built from the idea that good quality healthcare should be accessible to all, regardless of wealth or income.
The NHS was officially launched by then Minister of Health, Aneurin Bevin, who visited Park Hospital in Manchester to mark the occasion. Its first patient to be treated was a 13-year-old called Sylvia Diggory, who was admitted with a liver problem.
Today, the NHS treats over a million people a day in England, and employs an estimated one in 20 people in Britain’s working population.
To mark the milestone anniversary, OT spoke to two hospital optometrists about what the NHS means to them.
“To me in terms of ophthalmology and eye care, the NHS represents clinical excellence”
Vijay Anand, deputy head of optometry at Moorfields Eye Hospital and AOP hospital optometrists Councillor
When did you start working in hospital optometry?
I started working in hospital optometry as a pre-registration optometrist at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital in 1999.
What do you value most about being a hospital optometrist?
I value being at the forefront of eye care. During my time in hospital optometry, I have seen incredible changes to the roles that optometrists are undertaking to deliver exceptional eye care in a secondary care setting. I also value watching optometrists who enter into the hospital eye service environment as a pre-reg optometrist develop their clinical skills and knowledge to become specialist and principal optometrists, becoming experts in their field of practice. Finally, I value the expansion of optometrists into post graduate education and research roles within hospital settings, and continuing to push the boundaries of what optometrists are able to do.
What does the NHS mean to you?
To me, in terms of ophthalmology and eye care, the NHS represents clinical excellence. With the increasing ageing population and the projected increase in visual impairment that we know is coming, ophthalmology in the NHS continues to deliver sight saving interventions for all those that need it, often delivering care to the most vulnerable in society with compassion and expertise.
“The smallest things can make the biggest difference to people”
Jasmin Matharu, hospital optometrist
When did you start working in hospital optometry and why?
I completed my pre-registration placement at Cheltenham General Hospital under the supervision of Sue Carter. The reason I decided to do my placement in a hospital is because I wanted to learn more about ocular disease and how to manage it. At the time of my pre-reg placement I was very much interested in managing complex patients. I wanted to be exposed to conditions and clinical scenarios that I wouldn’t see if I was in primary care.
What do you value most about being a hospital optometrist?
Working amongst other skilled professionals is what I value most as a hospital optometrist. I not only learn so much clinically, but also non-clinically too. I learn how to manage different patients in unique situations. I appreciate that not every day is the same, but it is fun regardless.
What does the NHS mean to you?
Working for the NHS has taught me that the smallest things can make the biggest difference to people.
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