The Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee (OFNC) has welcomed government commitments to focus on economic growth and deliver the three big shifts for the NHS, but warns that the current approach to NHS primary eyecare must change to achieve these goals.
In terms of economic growth, the OFNC response to HM Treasury and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) highlights the important high skilled jobs that the primary eyecare sector creates, how the sector delivers £4bn in direct economic value each year, and drives essential footfall to struggling high streets. However, this is being put at risk due to the NHS in England failing to cover the cost of providing NHS eyecare, argues the OFNC.
The OFNC stated: “With regard to delivering the three big shifts for the NHS, the chronic underfunding of the NHS sight testing service and over-dependence on an unsustainable hospital model of care is putting primary eyecare under pressure and increasing the risk of the system failing, which will ultimately disadvantage patients.
“OFNC has called for an additional £350m of funding for NHS primary eyecare, which is affordable for the NHS in England at just 0.17 per cent of the planned 2025/26 budget. This would help stabilise existing services by more appropriately covering the cost of providing an NHS sight test, in the same way the Scottish and Welsh governments have supported more sustainable models of out of hospital care. It will also help the sector to be able to move more care out of hospital and deliver the government’s three big shifts for the NHS.”
OFNC chair, Paul Carroll, said: “Lord Darzi’s independent review of the NHS was right; NHS funding needs to be rewired to shift care out of unsustainable hospital models of care. Only this will fix the hospital eye service capacity crisis, which is putting sight at risk. That is why we have called for the Treasury to work with DHSC to address underfunding of primary eyecare services in England. It is time to stop disregarding the evidence on the cost of providing vital NHS primary eyecare services.”
The College of Optometrists has welcomed the extra funding promised for NHS England “as a necessary step forward to help reduce waiting lists” – but is calling on the government to prioritise funding towards primary eyecare services to help tackle the ophthalmology backlog.
Dr Gillian Rudduck, president of the College of Optometrists, said: “Investing in primary eyecare services, optometry workforce development, digital connectivity improvement, and preventative initiatives will ensure that eyecare services are accessible, timely, and of the highest quality. This will not only improve the quality of life for millions of people, but it will also provide both immediate and long-term benefits, including better use of resources and reduced impact sight loss has on individuals, society, and the economy.”
Download the OFNC’s response to Phase 2 of the government’s Spending Review.