Shocking experiences of blind patients lead to improved cervical screening standards
Blind women in Scotland have reported distressing experiences when attending cervical screening appointments, with some describing procedures as “rough” and “painful,” and feeling uninformed and unsupported throughout. There are over 180,000 people with sight loss in Scotland, of whom 60%...
The College of Optometrists welcomes Healthwatch England's primary eye care report recommendations
1 April 2025
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The College of Optometrists, ophthalmology, optometry services, Report, NHS Services, Healthwatch England, optometrist
The College of Optometrists welcomes Healthwatch England’s recommendations to commission more optometry services within primary care to reduce hospital waiting times and improve patient outcomes Professor Irene Ctori FCOptom, Vice-President of The College of Optometrists, commented: “Healthwatch England’s new report...
Will the scrapping of NHS England bring big changes for the nation's eye health?
Reacting to the announcement by the Prime Minster of the abolition of NHS England, Vivienne Francis, Chief of Strategy and Public Affairs at RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) said: "The abolition of NHS England has been heralded as...
Leading sight loss charity reveals urgent need for change in attitudes towards blind mothers
Ahead of Mothers’ Day, leading sight loss charity the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has released research that shows the barriers faced by mothers with sight loss during pregnancy and into their first years of motherhood. This research...
The College of Optometrists responds to the abolishment of NHS England
Dr Gillian Rudduck MCOptom, President of The College of Optometrists, commented: “The announcement today of the scrapping of NHS England must not slow the progress of reform and the government’s plans to shift focus from hospitals to primary care. With...
insitro and UK’s INSIGHT at Moorfields Eye Hospital announce collaboration to expand research efforts in neurodegeneration and related conditions
The world’s largest bioresource of eye images offers window into human health and serves as basis of a new AI foundation model to boost drug discovery. insitro, a machine learning-enabled drug discovery and development company, and the INSIGHT Health Data...
The College calls for funding for primary eye care services to be prioritised to address NHS ophthalmology backlog
26 February 2025
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NHS, IPS, Private sector, Optometry, Optician, Optometrist, Royal College of Optometry
The College of Optometrists has welcomed the extra funding promised for NHS England as a necessary step forward to help reduce waiting lists but calls on the government to prioritise funding towards primary eye care services to help tackle the...
Primary eyecare backs the government’s three key shifts in NHS care and calls for urgent implementation in Phase One of the 10 Year Plan
26 November 2024
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optometry, optometrist, ABDO, NHS, primary care, 10 year plan, industry news, response
ABDO, The College of Optometrists and FODO strongly back the government’s three big shifts for the NHS in England: Hospital to community Analogue to digital Sickness to prevention. These go to the heart of what primary eye care is about...
Millions of patients benefitting from improved care as new NHS IT software rolled out
26 November 2024
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patient experience, NHS, UK, IT, platform, waiting list, NHS Federated Data, Ming Tang, Anna Hargrave, Abdi Abolfazl, NHS England
Innovative IT software designed to tackle waiting lists and reduce discharge delays has been rolled out across more than two thirds of the NHS. The NHS Federated Data Platform securely brings together data currently held in separate systems, making it...
Celebrating 225 years of seeing ability in parliament
This October, the House of Lords provided the venue for charity SeeAbility’s celebration of its 225th-year anniversary, with people it supports, colleagues, volunteers, funders and partners. They were joined by parliamentarians, including the Rt Hon Lord David Blunkett, who sponsored...
‘Let’s place focus on Scotland’s vast innovation opportunities during National Eye Health Week’
National Eye Health Week (NEHW) could provide essential inspiration for NHS Scotland staff looking to focus on fresh ophthalmic innovation, says InnoScot Health. This year's NEHW is taking place from 23 to 29 September under an inclusive theme of ‘Vision...
‘The biggest jump in confidence’: SpaMedica officially launches STEPS development programme for NHS trainee ophthalmologists
STEPS aims to provide registrars with experience of treating all types of cataracts.
