A shared vision for the future

Optometry has historically operated in silo, but the PCC is determined to change this, putting the service at the centre of primary care conversations.

There’s an over-riding mood for change across the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System right now, creating exciting opportunities for improvement to the eye care pathway. Meanwhile, Optometry’s involvement with the Primary Care Collaborative is setting a positive tone for collaborative working across the region.

Stephanie Cairns chairs the Northumberland, and Tyne and Wear Local Optical Committee. She shared her thoughts on the Primary Care Collaborative’s formation, and her hopes for what it can achieve.

“I know that our position within the Primary Care Collaborative will help Local Optical Committees (LOCs) support the Optometry workforce more effectively. I also believe primary care Optometry can become an integral part of Neighbourhood Care Systems. Collaborative working will be key to this. I see this work as a unique opportunity to overcome barriers and make unprecedented service changes. This means putting patients at the centre of care, bringing care closer to home, and ensuring people receive the right help at the right time, with less duplication. 

“My many conversations with wider health professionals during my 15 years of LOC involvement , tell me there’s uncertainty about what we do, and people are often surprised at how much clinical time we spend working on behalf of the NHS. Including Optometry in decisions or incentives is sometimes overlooked. Equally, many optometrists, working independently with little direct daily interaction with the non-optometry workforce, have limited awareness of the wider services available beyond Ophthalmology.”

The current landscape for Optometry as Stephanie describes it, creates key opportunities for the PCC to promote change and improvement:

  • Work to help the ICS understand Optometry as an integrated and respected part of the primary care network with a highly skilled workforce that could be utilised to relieve some secondary care pressures.
  • Prioritise digital connectivity as a keystone of service integration and improved patient outcomes. Shared health records would save admin time but also potentially avoid referrals.
  • Support Optometry First, an NHSE model to standardise services, which is currently at test stage with very promising early results.

By bringing Optometry into the fold, building better mutual understanding of how workstreams operate, and combining our professional insight, the PCC can effect real change, prioritising patient needs and nurturing our workforce every step of the way.

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