Responding to the government’s 10 Year Health Plan for England, which was published today, College President Professor Ben Burton said:
“The 10 Year Health Plan marks an important step toward a more sustainable NHS. We welcome the recognition of ophthalmology as a priority specialty in outpatient redesign and the commitment to expanding specialty training with 1,000 new posts. We will make a strong case for a fair share of these places in ophthalmology to meet growing patient demand.
“We are particularly encouraged by the promise of a single patient record. Seamless, two-way sharing of data and images across care settings is essential to delivering truly joined-up care, reducing delays, avoiding duplication, and improving patient outcomes.
“While shifting care closer to home is welcome where appropriate, detail is needed about how this will be funded. Furthermore, consultant oversight remains essential to ensuring quality referrals, accurate diagnoses and safe treatment pathways. The plan aims to use independent sector providers while also challenging any ‘gaming’ of the national payment tariff to prevent cherry picking. Our concern is there is little successful precedent for this. Outsourcing to for-profit providers in ophthalmology has led to staff losses, wage inflation, and supply-induced demand, leaving insufficient resources for NHS units. The new commissioning framework must address these issues if we are to provide a comprehensive, sustainable eye care service.
“We look forward to working with the government and other partners to ensure that ophthalmology services are future-proofed and deliver the highest standards of patient care.”