ABDO in the regions: Northern Ireland

ONI chair, Jill Campbell

Following on from previous articles discussing the format of local optical committees (LOCs) from my regional lead colleagues in England and Wales, I’d like to talk about the structure here in Northern Ireland (NI).

The representation for primary eyecare differs slightly in that we don’t have separate LOCs representing eyecare practices and the clinical teams that work within them. Similar to Scotland, the primary eyecare sector is represented by one committee – Optometry Northern Ireland (ONI).

ONI engages in discussions with the NI Department of Health (DoH) and other government departments, such as the Strategic Planning Performance Group, in regard to funding for NHS sight tests and vouchers for optical appliances, as well as any uplifts in GOS fees and changes to contracts – including discussions around enhanced services.

Like its equivalents across the five nations, ONI has an important role in promoting and raising standards in eye health. The organisation co-ordinates, channels and negotiates the collective views of all primary care optometrists, dispensing opticians (DOs) and optical bodies corporate as providers of eyecare.

I have sat on the ONI committee for the past five years, and have held the ABDO seat on the committee for the past four. The committee, presently chaired by Jill Campbell, has representations from all the UK sector bodies as well as from the University of Ulster, the College of Optometrists and General Optical Council.

Having also been ABDO’s regional lead for NI for the last two years, I ensure the views of DOs are kept at the forefront of discussions about any new service provisions, whilst promoting their skills as part of the clinical primary eyecare workforce.

Assessing current provision

In the last issue, ABDO regional lead for Wales, Abi Crutcher, explained the huge amount of work that is ongoing in Wales as they instigate changes in the delivery of eyecare across the nation, including the provision of NHS-funded services within primary care. We are aware that the sector in Scotland is also looking to the future of service provision. On the back of what is happening within the sector across the rest of the UK, at ONI we are starting the process of revisiting the current GOS contract.

There is a positive history of the DoH and ONI working together to deliver the highest standards of eye health for patients, and some enhanced eyecare services already exist. These include glaucoma repeat pressure readings, glaucoma enhanced case finding, and an acute eyecare service called the NI Primary Eyecare Assessment and Referral Service.

Despite these pathways being in place, and like every other UK nation, our colleagues in secondary care are under severe pressure – with unprecedented delays in hospital eyecare appointments. More than 630 optometrists and 50 DOs are working across some 270 practices in NI – serving a population of just under two million people.

ONI recently held a consultation day in Belfast, focusing on existing and future NHS services, with the committee and representatives from all the sector bodies present. The committee listened to feedback, and colleagues discussed the pros and cons of GOS contracts in Scotland and Wales. Max Halford, ABDO clinical lead, spoke about the widening scope of practice for DOs as well as the challenges facing the funding of eyecare services across all the nations.

ONI is now mapping out what the future of GOS in NI could look like, with help and input along the way from all of the sector bodies. In order to have evidence-based proposals moving forward, ONI has commissioned the University of Ulster to carry out some research. I would encourage all practitioners in NI to keep an eye out for these surveys in the coming weeks, and to please provide feedback as this will be vital for future planning. ONI will then present its initial suggestions at its AGM later in the year, before commencing a period of consultation with practitioners in the region.

This is an exciting time for the profession within NI and a great opportunity to be part of an evolving process. If you would like to be involved, and you presently practise within NI, please email me at sharding@abdo.org.uk

Steven Harding FBDO ABDO regional lead for Northern Ireland. He sits on the board of ONI and works for a large lens manufacturing and supply company.