21 September 2022
An ‘ambitious’ plan to reform eye care in Wales was given ministerial sign-off yesterday (Tuesday 20 September).
The new Welsh General Ophthalmic Services Contract, which will see ‘significant cultural change within the profession,’ will be rolled out over the next 18 months.
The plans were announced by health and social care minister, Elenud Morgan, on Tuesday.
Changes will see optometrists delivering more clinical work within the primary care setting and taking on greater involvement in local decision making.
Training and support will take place in the coming months, starting with a webinar on Monday 26 September.
The webinar will introduce individuals within the profession to the changes that they can expect from the new contract. Registration is available online.
Details on financial packages that the profession can expect to see will be released soon.
Optometry Wales will also be offering individual sessions to help practices navigate the change.
Morgan’s statement read: “This will represent a significant reform of optometry services, aligned to the commitments set out in A Healthier Wales and the Future Approach for Optometry Services, founded on the key principles of prudent healthcare.”
It continued: “The focus of the changes is to improve access to eye health services in the community and in hospital eye departments, enabling patients to access eye care services delivered by the right professional, in the right place across the entire eye care pathway of primary care optometry and specialist hospital eye care services.”
The new contract comes after a year of negotiations and “robust dialogue, discussion and collaborative working with Optometry Wales and NHS Wales” that “has ensured we reached the best outcomes for all stakeholders during negotiations,” Morgan said.
Sarah Schumm, chair of Optometry Wales, called the reforms “a fantastic opportunity to truly be part of the primary care community, to fully utilise the skills we have to be able to truly be part of the diagnosis, management and treatment of citizens in Wales.”
She emphasised that some aspects would take longer to embed than others, but that Optometry Wales will “work with the profession, Health Education Improvement Wales, Shared Services Partnership and Welsh Government to ensure that this phased approach to implementation is as seamless for practices as possible.”
Adam Sampson, AOP chief executive, welcomed the reforms, saying: “We are pleased that the new contracts in Wales now recognise the contribution that optometrists can make in tackling the growing patient backlog by making full use of their clinical skills.
“The test now will be in the details of these reforms, which has yet to be revealed. We trust that, along with the improved arrangements for optometrists, the new contracts preserve all of the patient benefits of the existing system, such as spectacle voucher values.”
Schumm added that “this is a new era of change for the profession, and we are incredibly excited to help set the pace for change.”
Comments (2)
You must be logged in to join the discussion. Log in
Anonymous25 September 2022
With todays rising costs, trying to provide an eye exam for £22 is now a danger to the public. Someone needs to intervene.
Report Like 295
Anonymous22 September 2022
Yet again England is left lagging way behind. NHS England should hang its head in shame as we go backwards, been encouraged to refer more to the HES rather than pay or even talk about proper fees.
Report Like 253