OPTICIANS
Opticians are regulated according he same principles as the other Primary Health Services.
The term 'optician' refers to what the Department of Health defines as a General Ophthalmic Service (GOS) provider, and whose guidelines were set in April 2005, by the document "Delivering quality in primary care: primary care trust management of practitioners lists - general ophthalmic service practitioners".
Typical GOS are: sight tests, vouchers, repairs, replacements and domiciliary visits. GOS are provided by three different types of registered practioners (Department of Health 2005):
- An ophthalmic optician (optometrist) who is included in the General Ophtalmic Contract (GOC) register.
- An Opthalmic Medical Practicioer (OMP). An OMP is a registered medical practitioner who is included in the General Medical Council (GMC) register and is approved by the Ophthalmic Qualifications Committee.
- A corporate body that is included in the GOC list of corporate bodies as carrying out business as ophthalmic opticians.
The Southwark PCT area is serviced by 25 opticians, concentrated in the northwest and in the most densely populated areas. To the south, in Dulwich village, there is only one GOS optician, although there are other private practices not affiliated with the PCT. Opticians tend to locate close to each other along major roads.
REFERENCES [TOP]
Department of Health. 2005. Delivering quality in primary care: primary care trust management of practitioners lists - general ophthalmic service practitioners. Department of Health: URL.
