To ask the Minister of Health to detail any steps being taken to increase the number of optometrists with independent prescribing qualifications, given the success of the NIPEARS Plus pilot in treating 90 per cent of patients without the need for referral back to Eye Casualty.

The small but growing number of primary, and indeed secondary, care optometrists with independent prescribing (IP) qualifications has undoubtedly helped to build capacity across the wider ophthalmic workforce.

Optometrists with an independent prescribing (IP) qualification are able to clinically assess a patient, establish a diagnosis, determine the clinical management required and prescribe where necessary, freeing capacity in both general practice and ED/Eye Casualty.

In recognition of this, my Department has made recurrent funding available to facilitate the necessary clinical placements (22 sessions per trainee) for up to twelve IPs in-training annually, with these placements currently taking place under supervision of consultant ophthalmologists across Belfast and Western Health and Social Care Trust ophthalmology services.

This funded arrangement has been in place since 2016 and there are currently 52 community optometry IPs listed with SPPG across the region.

The limiting factors in increasing the number of optometrists with independent prescribing qualifications centre on the number of trainees that universities with approved qualifications can enrol, and the physical and clinical capacity which Trust ophthalmology departments have to facilitate trainee placements.

With respect to availability of suitably-qualified supervisors for clinical placements, it is anticipated that this might be improved by recent changes to Rules for this requirement by the General Optical Council. Trainees upon or shortly after admission to an approved qualification must have identified a suitably experienced and qualified designated prescribing practitioner (DPP) who has agreed to supervise their 90 hours of learning and experience in practice. This is a shift from the current requirement of a designated medical practitioner (DMP), in line with other regulators.