It is essential that the recently announced plan to abolish NHS England does not distract from the priority of achieving an expanded and skilled workforce within eye care and across the NHS.
Alongside other health unions, we are concerned about the way the decision has been handled with a lack of clear communication with the staff affected. We would hope that however the government plans to manage the NHS without NHSE, this is done with a greater level of partnership with trade unions and professional bodies representing the workforce.
Further, the NHS can only expand to meet the challenges it faces through greater investment in the clinical workforce. NHSE has provided significant funding over the past few years to support the development of the orthoptic workforce and meet the greater demand placed on eye care services, and we will be seeking reassurance that this investment will continue. Indeed, continued and greater investment is needed to fully address the recruitment and retention challenges across the NHS and the impact of any disruption caused by these changes must be minimised.