The Centre for Health and the Public Interest (CHPI) published a report ‘Out of Sight: The hidden profits and conflicts of interest behind the outsourcing of NHS cataract care’ on Easter Sunday, 20 April. It is the third in a series of studies looking at the outsourcing of NHS cataract care to the private sector.
Commenting on the report’s findings, College President Professor Ben Burton said:
“This report highlights many of the concerns around the increase in independent sector provision of NHS ophthalmology services that we share. The focus on using independent sector to reduce headline-grabbing NHS waiting list statistics means that vital resources are being diverted from conditions that can cause irreversible sight loss if not treated promptly – such as complex glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration.
“The report also indicates that the current commissioning framework is not giving integrated care boards (ICBs) the ability to limit spending on cataract surgeries, nor does it enable them to best allocate their resources in line with patient need or value for money for the taxpayer. We supported NHS England’s recent proposal that ICBs implement a payment limit for all elective providers. This could have helped ensure ophthalmology spending was better aligned to patient need. NHS England however abandoned these plans and is not yet clear how they intend to ensure finite resources are effectively allocated and controlled.
“We remain concerned that profit margins instead of clinical need appear to be driving patient prioritisation, and would support further investigation in this area.
“We support the CHPI’s call for policymakers to consider the report’s recommendations and act to stamp out any activity that is not in the best interests of patient care. They need to look beyond just cataract surgery numbers which make up only about 6% of all ophthalmology activity.
“As the representative voice for ophthalmologists in the UK, the College will continue to engage with policymakers and stakeholders in meeting the needs of the ophthalmic workforce so they can deliver the best care for patients.”