Independent Prescribing Optometrists completing clinical placements in Community Advanced Training Practices across Wales.
Published 18/08/2025
Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) Optometry is transforming access to advanced clinical training by enabling Independent Prescribing (IP) Optometrists to gain vital hands-on experience in community-based Advanced Training Practices (ATPs). This initiative forms part of a wider strategy to expand training opportunities, develop advanced clinical expertise within the optometry workforce, and improve patient access to timely, high-quality care.
Over the past year, HEIW has successfully established 18 ATPs across Wales, creating opportunities for clinical placements within community practices. Working in close partnership with ophthalmology departments, ATPs, and Cardiff University’s Teach & Treat clinics, HEIW has coordinated 42 clinical placements, with 24 practitioners completing part of their training in ATPs. More than 150 training sessions have been funded, providing trainees with richer, more varied learning experiences that better prepare them for advanced clinical roles.
This strategic investment is already delivering measurable results. In the past 12 months, waiting lists for optometrists requiring IP placements have been significantly reduced - with the most dramatic improvement seen in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (CVUHB), where waiting times have dropped from two years to zero.
Nik Sheen, Associate Director of Optometry “These changes are enhancing both the quality and efficiency of training, by strengthening our optometry workforce, we’re also supporting secondary care teams under pressure and improving patient access to care.”
One Independent Prescribing Optometrist in training shared their experience of a community placement: “It has truly boosted my confidence in prescribing. I feel more confident in assessing patients and diagnosing their conditions. I am more aware of different management options.”
HEIW’s ATP programme reflects its commitment to collaboration, innovation, and workforce development across Wales’s healthcare system.
For more information or to explore opportunities to get involved, please contact:
HEIW Optometry ATP Team
📧 HEIW.optometryATP@wales.nhs.uk