Rachel is a consultant ophthalmologist from Bradford who specialises in paediatric ophthalmology. She was a founder member of the British Emergency Eye Care Society in 2013 and a member of the Oxford Ophthalmological Council since 2015. She has been interested in learning disability eye care for ten years after being invited to join the Royal College of Ophthalmologists Working Party in 2008.

Rachel has since been a member and chair of the VISION2020UK Learning Disability committee, publishing guidance on eye care for learning disability for RCOphth and RCGP and developing quality standards for eye departments.  She has published widely on aspects of eye care for learning disability and is a regular invited speaker at national events.

She has developed visual assessment tools to enable professionals to detect and act upon visual loss, including the Bradford Visual Function Box. The Special School Visual Assessment programme in Bradford is regarded as a beacon site. In 2016 she was awarded the Astbury Award in recognition of collaboration in eye care. Together with SeeAbility, Rachel is working with NHS England to change national health policy to enable all patients with learning disability to access sight tests in the community or in school and reduce undiagnosed visual loss in this high risk group of the population.

Outside of this work, Rachel and colleague Dan Wadsworth were awarded the NHS Improvement Sir Peter Carr Award in 2017 in recognition of their collaborative Quality Improvement work. Their social movement “15seconds 30 minutes” aims to enable all NHS staff and patients to reduce frustration and increase joy.  Follow them @15s30m.