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Eye health sector launches new SAFE approach to assist in improving the systems around the delivery of eye health and sight loss services in England

11 April 2018

The Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning (CCEHC), which represents the leading clinical professions and sight loss charity organisations in the eye-care sector, has launched a new Systems and Assurance Framework for Eye-health (SAFE)1.

Increasing demands on eye health services due to the ageing population and the availability of new treatments continue to create capacity issues within the hospital eye service as well as pressures on general practice and social care. SAFE provides a sustainable, consistent and coordinated approach to delivering efficient eye health and sight loss pathways.

SAFE is aimed at those involved in eye health and sight loss services: Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and local authority commissioners, Local Eye Health Networks and providers across health and social care.

SAFE is a series of core constructs and technical tools based on four principles:

  1. System-based approach to the planning, commissioning and provision of services, to improve patient flows and patient experience, which is operable at the level of an Integrated Care System (ICS) or Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STP) level.
  2. Assurance in delivering better outcomes for patients, and reduce duplication and waste of resources for the NHS
  3. Framework that provides consistency in the approaches taken to improve access, availability and integration of services taking into account the full range and complexity of care pathways that increasingly involve multiple providers and settings to deliver services across health and social care
  4. Eye-health conditions covered are the main adult chronic (Glaucoma and Age-related Macular Degeneration) and high-volume conditions (Cataract), but can be applied to any eye condition.

Launching the new framework Parul Desai, Chair of the Clinical Council said:

“The development of SAFE has been clinically led and clinically driven to ensure safe and effective services are available to meet individual and population eye health needs.  This cross-sector initiative provides the basis for the organisation and delivery of pathways of care that patients can reasonably expect wherever they may live, with processes that provide assurance on quality and governance.”

References:

  1. SAFE – System and Assurance Framework for Eye-health. 2018. Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning.   ccehc.org.uk