Integrated care systems and the commissioning of eyecare services in England
The way that eye care services are designed and commissioned legally changed in England in July 2022.
News & Views
Read the latest RCOphth news updates and guidance here.
Holyrood Eye Health Day helps to highlight ophthalmology challenges in Scotland
Earlier this month, the first-ever Holyrood Eye Health Day was held in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. This was a great opportunity to highlight the challenges facing ophthalmology services in Scotland to Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) and the Scottish Government.
Addressing cataract provision and independent sector challenges: call for input to working groups
To support the College’s work to address the challenges to long term sustainable patient care created by the growing role of independent sector providers, we are inviting members to join working groups on the cataract referral process and the postoperative pathway.
One year on from the National Eye Care Recovery and Transformation Programme: progress and next steps
Mel Hingorani is RCOphth Honorary Secretary and Joint Clinical Lead of the National Eye Care Recovery and Transformation Programme (NECRTP) and is a consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital. In this article, she reflects in her College capacity on what has been achieved by the programme so far and what still needs to happen.
Public dissatisfaction with NHS spells out need for action on workforce
With public satisfaction in the NHS falling amid rising waiting times and staff shortages, RCOphth President Professor Bernie Chang outlines the urgent need to increase ophthalmology workforce capacity alongside investing in recovery services.
A step in the right direction to address NHS cataract provision and independent sector challenges
RCOphth President Professor Bernie Chang explains the positive action being taken by NHS England through its cataract specification, which the College has supported to develop.
What does the elective recovery plan mean for NHS ophthalmology services?
The government and NHS England published a joint plan last week setting out how they intend to support the recovery of elective services over the next three years. RCOphth Policy Manager Jordan Marshall summarises the key implications for ophthalmology services.
MPs debate key eye health issues in Parliament
In a debate in Westminster this week, Members of Parliament from various parties discussed how to better support eye care services. This included focusing on workforce shortages in ophthalmology, the need for better integration and a national strategy for eye health.
World Sight Day 2021 #Loveyoureyes
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists is proud to be supporting World Sight Day 2021 with the theme #Loveyoureyes. World Sight Day is an opportunity for everyone to be aware of eye health and the impact of sight loss. Globally, at least 1 billion people have near or distance vision impairment that could be prevented or has yet to be addressed.
RCOphth responds to select committees and MPs report on Coronavirus: Lessons learned to date
A joint parliamentary select committee report published yesterday has assessed some of the key decisions the UK has taken during the pandemic and lessons that needed to be learnt. While acknowledging there were some areas where the UK performed well, such as vaccine development and rollout, the report overall is very critical of the UK approach. These criticisms include ‘a degree of groupthink’ on the initial decisions taken on lockdowns and social distancing and stopping community testing early in the pandemic being a ‘serious mistake’. The report also importantly emphasised that a lack of NHS capacity was a significant problem.