Page 4 - FODO Strategy 2023

Eliminating system risk

Thanks to significant advances in diagnostics, surgery and drug
therapies, we can now treat and prevent many more cases of
sight loss, but our health systems in all four nations are struggling
to cope. This includes more than 20 people a month suffering
avoidable sight loss due to delays in glaucoma care in the hospital
eye service (HES). 1

Each case of preventable sight loss due to delays in care is a serious
incident. We can and must work together across the system to
reduce these cases to zero and eliminate system risk. This is an
ambitious but achievable goal.

So, while we have much to be proud of in eye care, we must now
push forward to meet changing eye health needs. At the heart of
this effort will be streamlining and expanding access to enhanced
eye care pathways so that no patient suffers avoidable sight loss
due to delays in accessing specialist support in the HES.

Supporting sustainable models of eye care

To deliver this vision we must move rapidly to take full advantage of
all that primary eye care has to offer. This means primary eye care
providers meeting more eye health needs. Enabling patients to
access high-quality clinical care close to home on time. Achieving
this will, in turn, reduce pressure on GP and hospital colleagues,
optimise system capacity and address the bottlenecks causing
avoidable sight loss due to delays in care.

Acting now will also help address the associated personal and
system costs and impacts of sight loss.
FODO will do this by continuing to support collaboration across all
health systems to increase service delivery through primary eye
care providers. This support will include improving access to clinical
services and medical devices for those in greatest need and ensuring
patients get the right care in the right place at the right time.

4 FODO UK