Community eyecare services: review

Introduction

A Review group consisting of key stakeholders was established and met on a monthly basis to consider current services, and hear from a range of partners on potential future developments in the service. The remit and membership of the Review Group can be found in Annex A.

Whilst carrying out the Review, the members agreed that a service that is fit for purpose should be underpinned by the following key principles:

• Person-centred - for those who both receive and deliver services
• Intelligence-led - making the most of what we know about patients and their needs
• Asset-optimised - making the most of all available assets and resources
• Outcomes-focused - making the best decisions for safe and high quality patient care

Throughout the Review period, the Chair of the Review also met with a number of healthcare professionals from both primary and secondary care who are directly involved in delivering eyecare services for patients. The views of service users were also captured to ensure the patient voice was represented. The views expressed by both service users and providers have been incorporated into this report.

The following report is split into two sections. The first section sets out the current provision of eyecare services, highlighting areas of good practice, as well as current issues facing the service. The second section sets out the recommendations of the Review in delivering eyecare services to meet the future needs of Scotland's population.

It is intended that the Review should be followed through with an implementation plan in which key stakeholders, including the Scottish Government, NHS Boards, Integration Authorities, professional bodies and patients work together to deliver the recommendations set out in this report.