The Welsh Government has announced an £8.5 million investment in digital systems to support eye care.
The money will cover the implementation of an electronic patient record and electronic referral system, the first of their kind for the country and as element of plans for the future approach for optometry services.
The largest share of the funding – £4.8 million – will be invested in a cloud based system for the referral and monitoring of patients with eye conditions. It will give hospital opthalmologists and community optometrists access to shared clinical information.
£3.5 million will be used to replace existing IT hardware in hospital and primary care settings.
The programme is being led by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
Leading the way
Minister for Health and Social Services Vaughan Gething said: “Eye care services in Wales are very much leading the way and our plans for the future approach to optometry outlines how we can continue to progress and innovate.
“Central to its development is the new digital patient record and electronic referral platform, which will modernise the delivery of eye care treatment and enhance patient experience and outcomes.”
The Welsh Government said the Hospital Eye Service accounts for 10% of all outpatient appointments in Wales and is now the busiest outpatient operation in the country.
Image from iStock, spainter_vfx
