The HSE published the Report of the Primary Care Eye Services Review Group in June 2017. The overall aim of the Review is to reorganise primary care eye services with an increased emphasis on maximising delivery of a comprehensive service at primary care level, thereby also releasing capacity in the acute sector to provide more complex services. This reflects Government policy, which aims to maximise the proportion of people's healthcare needs met in the community.
To support the implementation of the Report, funding of €1m was allocated in 2018 to establish primary care eye teams in South and West Dublin and to further develop the primary care eye team in North Dublin to help alleviate waiting lists. Further steps towards implementation of the recommendations in the Report will be considered in the context of the Health budget for 2019 and future years.