Zoe Richmond

Zoe Richmond BSc(Hons) MCOptom

Zoe is an optometrist with unparalleled experience in eye care pathway redesign, supporting the development of extended primary eye care services across England.  Most recently this includes the innovative urgent eye care service CUES, developed in response to the pandemic, and the Optometry First framework, a comprehensive optometry service designed to support eye care recovery and continue to manage growing demand in a sustainable way.

With 25 years’ experience in independent practice she believes primary care optometry has more to offer than sight testing and opportunistic case-finding.

She has previously worked as a Local Eye Health Network Chair and NHS Optometric Adviser promoting the role of Optometry locally.

She joined LOCSU in 2011 to pursue her interest in service pathway development, and is leading a programme of work to continue to develop the Clinical Service Pathways Framework, extending the range of eye conditions which can be managed in optometric practice.

Through her role as clinical director for LOCSU, Zoe provides clinical leadership to a team of optical leads supporting the 74 Local Optical Committees within England.

Recently elected Vice-chair of the Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning, Zoe works with eye health leaders to support the national agenda to improve eye health and eye care provision across England.

Most recently she has joined the NHS England’s National Eye Care Recovery and Transformation programme to provide optometry clinical leadership for pathway improvement.