Summary
The Optometry Excellence Programme helps providers to improve services.
Optometry practitioners throughout Greater Manchester are being supported to develop and thrive, thanks to industry experts.
The Optometry Excellence Programme was launched in 2024 and, since then, its key support offers have been gradually introduced to create a culture of improvement and excellence among the city-region’s 300-plus optometry practices.
Several learning events have been held to enhance practitioners’ skills and new networks have been established to encourage networking and the sharing of best practice.
The programme also appointed a digital facilitator, who is working with providers and stakeholders to ensure optometry practitioners have the technical support needed to deliver excellent patient care.
If you work in the Greater Manchester optical sector and want to learn more about the Optometry Excellence Programme, email the team at optometryexcellence@gmlocs.co.uk
Here’s an overview of the people and support available:
Julia Maiden
Julia is a practising optometrist at Asda Opticians, Wigan and Chair of Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Local Optical Committee (LOC).
She is a member of the Greater Manchester Optometry Provider Board (OPB) and oversees the Optometry Excellence workstreams.
Julia has a longstanding interest in ensuring excellence in the delivery of optometry, and believes it helps colleagues by strengthening their clinical skills, confidence and professional reputation.
This enables them to deliver more accurate diagnoses and better patient outcomes, while providing care closer to home.
She said: “Optometry excellence is important to me because it ensures the highest standard of eye care, helping to protect and improve vision while detecting potential health issues early.
“Excellence also supports optical practices to grow, innovate, and develop a skilled workforce. This creates a stronger profession overall, giving confidence that both patient care and the future of eye health services are in the best possible hands.”
David Gleave
As the lead for practical support, and rescue and resilience, David focuses on great communication and practice support, as well as growing relationships between primary and secondary care.
The aim is to embed a strong foundation for optometry to excel in primary care and continue to deliver services in the community, reduce waiting times and enable patients to access care closer to home.
David has set up a Glaucoma Clinical Network and Independent Prescribing Clinical Network, which provide peer-to-peer support that is vital to up-skill optometrists so they can adequately assist secondary care.
The networks have more than 70 and 40 members respectively, and there are plans for additional networks to support pre-registration and newly qualified optometrists.
He said: “I am lucky enough to be supported by clinical leads who have a wealth of experience and work across both primary, secondary care and within the university.
“Their support, expertise and commitment have enabled us to establish a strong foundation which we will continue to build upon and strive for excellence into the future.”
David is a finance director and owner of five independent optical practices in Greater Manchester, Lancashire and South Cumbria.
Ketan Parmar
A practising and academic optometrist, Ketan is a lecturer at the University of Manchester and is a member of the practical support team.
He enjoys developing resources and training opportunities for fellow optometrists, and hopes his background in autism and eyecare research will encourage uptake of the Easy Eyecare Pathway, for people with learning disabilities and/or autism.
As part of his role for Optometry Excellence, Ketan has led and supported Continuing Professional Development (CPD) events.
He said: “Through the programme, I would like to support optometrists to become confident in providing accessible eyecare and enhanced services.
“Optometrists are the experts for anyone with an eye problem, and we should empower our profession with that image.”
Andrew McGrail
Andrew is an optometrist and Director of Wallwork Opticians, and Chair of Manchester, Salford and Trafford Local Optical Committee (LOC).
As an active Optometry Provider Board member, he is part of the Optometry Excellence practical support team.
Andrew has been instrumental in organising Foreign Body Removal workshops for more than 100 optometrists, supporting the delivery of care closer to home and reducing referrals to emergency eye clinics.
Committed to delivering workforce development, supporting the Greater Manchester Community Urgent Eyecare Services (CUES) and reducing secondary care referrals, Andrew is also supporting the first Optometry Excellence CPD full-day event in May.
Mohammed Bhuta
Mohammed leads the Optometry Referrals Improvement Programme and is a practising optometrist.
He is also an optometry clinical tutor at the University of Manchester, treasurer of Manchester, Salford and Trafford Local Optical Committee, and works with LOCs and NHS stakeholders as an advancement lead for the Local Optical Committee Support Unit (LOCSU).
Mo wants every optometrist in Greater Manchester to have access to the data, tools and support they need to ensure patient referrals are safe and efficient, and there is health equity across the region.
He said: “I hope that the work we are doing through Optometry Excellence will turn referral quality from a known problem into a solved one, with practitioners at the centre of that improvement.”
Usman Rasul
Usman is the digital facilitator and works with Mo, as part of the Optometry Referrals Improvement Programme.
He supports primary and secondary care teams to make the most of digital referrals, help improve referral quality, reduce delays, and streamline patient pathways by ensuring clinicians can reliably share the right clinical information and imaging.
A technical troubleshooter, Usman has helped practices with their use of the online referral system, OPERA, and has developed the NHS Ophthalmology Map as a vital resource.
He said: “My aim is to make digital referrals simple and dependable, so clinicians can spend more time focusing on patient care.”
The Optometry Excellence programme is funded by the Greater Manchester Optometry Provider Board (OPB), which is a sub-board of Greater Manchester Primary Care Provider Board (PCB).
