The College has responded to the government’s Spending Review, which was published yesterday (11 June).
Our statement is as follows:
“It is encouraging to see the Chancellor commit to significant long-term investment in the NHS to the end of this decade, with the announcement of a 3% increase in day-to-day spending. Static capital spending will make it challenging to improve outdated estates and IT infrastructure though. Almost 600,000 patients are waiting for a first appointment with an ophthalmologist and many more for vital follow-up appointments. To cut these backlogs, it is crucial that ophthalmology departments across England are supported to deliver innovations that have been proven to work locally.
“Ophthalmology is one of the emerging leaders in the use of artificial intelligence so the £2bn announced to support AI adoption is a positive step that can help accelerate its safe adoption. This needs to be underpinned by a stronger focus on improving the basics of IT interoperability. Many units still struggle to share images and data between organisations, including primary eye care, which leads to duplication and delays for patients. The introduction of a single NHS patient record also has the potential to improve eye care if implemented well.
“To put NHS ophthalmology services on a long-term sustainable footing, as well as investing in NHS estates and digital infrastructure, we must also ensure we have the workforce in place to meet growing patient need. That will require a phased increase in ophthalmology training places, and the upcoming refresh of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan needs to offer clarity on this.
“The government also needs to make sure it is making best use of limited resources. As The Sunday Times has recently highlighted, the rapidly increasing use of independent sector providers to perform NHS cataract surgery has raised concerns about value for money and patient safety. It is essential that government reviews the use and oversight of independent sector providers for NHS-funded cataract surgery.”