Shifting ophthalmic care from hospitals to high street opticians could deliver £98m of savings a year for the NHS, according to a new report.

And this will have implications for the real estate market, with investors and financiers looking for suitable sites within local communities.

The research, by the NHS Confederation and Carnall Farrar (CF), found that for every £1 invested in community or primary care, there is up to a £14 return back into the local economy through gross value added (GVA).

And the new report adds to this evidence by suggesting that investing in high street opticians could deliver £98m in annual savings for the NHS.

Ruth Rankine, primary care director at the NHS Confederation, said: “This report provides yet more evidence supporting a greater shift of care out of hospitals and into the community with the right investment.

“It estimates that more than 750,000 appointments a year could be shifted from hospital eye services to community optometry, easing the pressure on hospitals and potentially reducing waits for patients.

“The case for prevention and early detection is clear – it is better for patients and cheaper for the NHS.

“The fact that teams across primary care are managing record demand and hospital waiting lists remain stubbornly high highlights the need to make sure patients are seen by the right person at the right time.

“We look forward to working with the Government on its 10-year strategy to help it achieve its ambitions of moving more care into the community and moving from treating sickness to preventing ill health.”

The report comes as the optical real estate sector is increasingly viewed by property dealers and financers as a ‘safe sector’.

Dominic Watson, a consultant at broker Myers La Roche, said: “Megatrends are forces that are reshaping the optical business landscape and the future prospects of independent practice owners in significant ways.

“However, the implication of these forces are broad and varied; they present both amazing opportunities that need to be pro-actively seized with both hands, and extremely-dangerous risks and short-term temptations that need to be actively rationalised and mitigated.”

And he revealed that the independent UK optical market is not a single market, but a ‘market of markets’, with substantial regional variations and variance in operating models.

As a result, it can take many years to find a suitable independent practice.

And many new entrants to the market are coming up against funding issues, with a trend towards joint ventures and franchise arrangements increasing in popularity.