As the voice of the profession, we work closely with our members, partners across the eye care sector and policymakers to improve public policy so key challenges facing ophthalmology services across the UK are recognised and addressed.
Since our last roundup, we:
- Met Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock MP to discuss the concerns we raised in our open letter about the use and oversight of independent sector provision of NHS-funded cataract surgeries. We are now working with DHSC officials on developing viable solutions.
- Attended several sector events on the 10-year plan for the NHS, including Re:State’s Reimagining Healthcare conference where the Minister and key NHS England officials provided an overview of their forthcoming priorities. We will assess the plan’s implications for ophthalmology when it is published later this week.
- Attended a roundtable in Parliament to discuss with MPs and primary eye care and patient organisations the shift from hospital to community settings in eye care. Our Vice President, Dilani Siriwardena, emphasised the importance of consultant oversight in managing ophthalmology services and of supporting the wider adoption of proven innovations (such as the single point of access model) to reduce waiting times and improve care.
- Published a response to the government’s Spending Review. We welcomed significant long-term investment in the NHS, funding for the acceleration of AI adoption and the proposed introduction of single NHS patient records, but cautioned that static capital spending poses significant challenges. We also reiterated the urgent need for increased workforce investment to meet rising patient demand.
- Submitted evidence to the Public Accounts Committee’s inquiry into reducing NHS waiting times for elective care. We highlighted several pilots that have been successfully trialled in NHS ophthalmology units and could be scaled up to help ensure the future sustainability of ophthalmology services. Read more about these examples of best practice here.
- Invited two clinicians to share their thoughts on the future of AI in ophthalmology. Read their guest blog to find out more about the existing evidence base and how our AI directory is helping to support informed exploration, evaluation and adoption of AI in clinical practice.