The Ophthalmic Services Under the National Service Acts, 1946–1952

The NHS Act of 1951; Is it time to re-act?

“…It was the Minister's intention to provide all ophthalmic services under the NHS, and this was to be carried out only in hospitals within eye departments and clinics, which were to be run by specialist medical ophthalmologists, with ophthalmic opticians playing their 'proper professional part'. 1 The Minutes from the first Annual General Meeting of the Faculty of Ophthalmologists on 1 June 1946 ( Figure 1) revealed a mixed reaction to the NHS Bill. 2 The Faculty in general welcomed the idea of opticians working under the supervision of ophthalmologists in the hospital setting and laid down three principles upon which the National Eye Service should be based:…”