Optometrists make the case for community care at party conferences

Optometrists make the case for community care at party conferences

Community optometrists have met with government ministers, senior MPs and hundreds of delegates at the Labour, Conservative, and Liberal Democrat autumn conferences – highlighting the sector’s expertise and capability.

Optometrists and audiologists from Specsavers were part of a team making the case for community hearing and eye care at the events. They were joined on a stand at the Labour and Conservative conferences by Glaucoma UK – the UK’s only charity solely dedicated to supporting glaucoma patients.

Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and Primary Care Minister Stephen Kinnock were among visitors to the stand at the Labour conference. They received copies of Specsavers’ latest Access to Care report, published last month in response to the government’s 10-year health plan.

Meanwhile, Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary Stuart Andrew were among senior Conservative MPs who visited the Specsavers stand at their party conference in Manchester.

At a fringe session discussing future funding for the NHS, Mr Andrew talked about visiting the Specsavers stand to learn about the postcode lottery of services and the lack of NHS funded hearing care on high streets in his constituency.

‘This struck a chord with me’, said Mr Andrew as he explained that members of his family would value being able to access care locally from providers like Specsavers rather than having to go to the hospital for regular appointments.

As part of its mission to improve access to care, Specsavers hosted two fringe events at the Labour conference to talk about the role of healthcare on the high street. The panels included MPs, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation and Specsavers’ chief audiologist Gordon Harrison as well as clinical services director Giles Edmonds.

Glaucoma UK’s chair Professor Anthony King and chief executive Joanne Creighton also joined the stand at the Labour and Conservative conferences, respectively.

A spokesperson for Glaucoma UK said: ‘Glaucoma is often symptomless, so equitable access to early diagnosis is crucial.

‘We know that by providing early and effective treatment, people can protect their sight, living well with glaucoma supported by their care team, our dedicated staff via our Helpline, our wider patient community, and the information resources we provide,’ they added.

Giles Edmonds, clinical services director at Specsavers, says: ‘Working with Glaucoma UK, it was fantastic to meet and talk to hundreds of delegates. This included senior MPs, policy makers, and influencers across the conferences.’

Many delegates also took the opportunity to get free hearing and eye health checks at the Specsavers stand at the Labour and Conservative conferences.

‘As well as being a visible demonstration of how we provide accessible care, it was an opportunity to showcase the expertise of clinicians and the technology we use in action,’ he says.

Reflecting on the three conferences, Mr Edmonds concludes: ‘Community opticians and audiologists play a critical role in delivering a neighbourhood health service. Our experts are ready and able to do even more to improve access to care for patients.

‘We remain committed to continuing this important engagement work because we believe in the power of clinicians and their teams across our sector to change the lives of patients and support the NHS.’

Shadow Chancellor hails optometry’s local healthcare role and high street support

Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has praised community optometry in helping keep local people and their high streets healthy.

The MP for Central Devon spoke warmly about the profession during a fringe event at the Conservative party conference in Manchester on Tuesday 9 October.

‘I think they’ve got a huge role to play,’ said Mr Stride, when asked about optometry by a member of the Specsavers team attending the conference as part of its mission to improve access to care.

Referring to the previous Conservative government, he continued: ‘We had Pharmacy First as an approach to relieving some of the pressure on GPs. So that across a fairly limited but important number of conditions you could go to your pharmacist rather than your GP.’

As to community optometry, Mr Stride added: ‘When it comes to opticians, they have an important role in picking up various conditions when they examine your eyes and scan the back of your eyes.

‘So, I do think they are really important. I think they’re about keeping healthcare local, and I think you referred to driving footfall into local high streets.’

Educating people about the optical services available on the high street was important, he said. ‘There are some challenges, but I think they have a really important role to play,’ concluded the shadow chancellor.

The Specsavers team also engaged at other conference fringe events featuring panels made up of MPs, policy makers, and influencers as well as journalists. This included high-profile figures such as the chief executive of the King’s Fund and other think tanks.

In response to a Specsavers question at a Labour fringe, Primary Care Minister Stephen Kinnock declared that ‘optometry is an absolutely vital part of the neighbourhood health service’. He further hailed a consultation on extending the range of medicines available to optometrists and contact lens opticians to care for their patients.

At a different Labour fringe event, Public Health and Prevention Minister Ashley Dalton noted that the neighbourhood health service was about meeting the needs of communities, with organisations like Specsavers helping provide accessible care.

‘There is something about neighbourhood health service that we really need to be clear about. People think it’s about going into communities and building something and then putting some services in it. I’ve been really, really clear that communities have got assets in them,’ she added.