Wales minister agrees £3.9m funding boost

Jeremy Miles MS (courtesy: Senned Commission)

Following the conclusion of optometry contract negotiations between the Welsh government, NHS Wales and Optometry Wales for 2024-25, Jeremy Miles MS, cabinet secretary for health and social care, has agreed financial arrangements for optometry services – including an uplift of £3.9m for 2024-25.

The new arrangements are designed to “secure the delivery of more clinical work in primary care optometry services from hospital eyecare services, helping to reduce the demand for and increase capacity to provide specialist eyecare”.

Specific highlights include:

• Additional funding support for optometrists and dispensing opticians for their continuing professional development, with higher fees associated with gaining higher qualifications and providing Wales General Ophthalmic Services 3, 4 and 5 pathways
• Additional optometry practice financial assistance to support practitioners to gain the professional higher certificate in glaucoma
• A separation of the fees at WGOS 4 between the medical retina and glaucoma pathways to recognise the difference in clinical responsibilities between the two
• A doubling of the fee paid to optometry practices to provide support and training to student optometrists (pre-registration optometrists), to support the training and retention of the workforce in Wales

Optometry Wales, the representative body for optometrists and dispensing opticians in Wales, described the collaborative working as marking “a significant step forward in enhancing eyecare services across Wales” – adding that it had “long championed the ability of optometrists and dispensing opticians to deliver high-quality services in their local communities”.

Read Optometry Wales’ response in full.

Dr Peter Hampson, clinical and policy director at the Association of Optometrists, commented: “This announcement shows the commitment in Wales to address the growing demand on hospital eye services and enhance the delivery of additional pathways within optometry to improve eyecare services. The uplift will improve the training and retention of pre-registration optometrists.

“It will empower community optometrists and dispensing opticians to deliver high quality care, and enable that all-important shift of more care from the hospital to the community to enhance eyecare services across Wales.”