Hospital eyecare programme welcomed
Dharmesh Patel, PES chief executive
Optical sector stakeholders have welcomed a new NHS Confederation development programme – ‘Developing hospital eye care closer to home’ – which aims to move more hospital eyecare services into the community.
Developed in partnership with Primary Eyecare Services (PES) and the Q community, the programme will support local teams working across a neighbourhood, acute and integrated care system footprint to understand, plan and create the infrastructure and processes to move ophthalmology care closer to a home setting by July 2026.
Each team will focus on a chosen sub-specialty of ophthalmology, with the ultimate aim being to create and design a local transition plan for providing ophthalmology services closer to home, with some teams also expected to move onto the implementation stage.
The programme will run for eight months from November 2025 to July 2026, with up to six teams selected across England.
Dharmesh Patel, PES chief executive, said: “Eyecare and optometry services are a success story in the provision of open and accessible NHS-funded care. We are all familiar with how readily services are accessible through trusted opticians on our local High Streets, from small independent practices to national chains. Many of these services are highly specialised and already closely inform the diagnosis and management of serious conditions.
“There is so much scope to build on this success by expanding the range of services available to include more of those normally located within hospitals. As members of the NHS Confederation through the Primary Care Network, we are delighted to be selected as an expert partner for this programme, using our expertise to bring together and support teams to design solutions for how this can be done in practice.”
Max Halford, ABDO clinical and policy director, said: “We warmly welcome the NHS Confederation’s new initiative to bring ophthalmology care closer to home for patients. This programme represents a significant step forward in wider recognition of the vital role that High Street practices play in delivering accessible, high quality eyecare.
“We are especially pleased to see the emphasis on multi-disciplinary collaboration, including the involvement of local optical committees, which will help ensure that local expertise and patient needs are at the heart of any service transformation. With a proven history of delivering extended services in High Street settings, Primary Eyecare Services is well-placed to contribute meaningfully to this programme.
“This programme offers a valuable opportunity to build on existing eyecare services and to demonstrate the full potential of optometrists and dispensing opticians in supporting NHS priorities. We look forward to supporting our members as this work progresses and to sharing updates as the programme develops,” Max added.
Paul Morris, Specsavers director of professional advancement, commented: “This is a fantastic initiative by the NHS Confederation, offering practical support to NHS commissioners on how to seize the opportunities that exist in eye care to shift more care from hospital into the community. The NHS Confederation is right to champion the role that primary care optometry and community services can play in improving the patient experience and taking pressure off waiting lists.
“High street optometrists are already delivering enhanced optical services – such as community glaucoma services – in many areas, as the latest Specsavers Access to Care report sets out. Our clinicians and their teams have the skills, expertise, and care to do even more for patients, their communities, and the health service.
“Specsavers remains committed to work with colleagues across the health service as part of our mission to change lives through better sight and hearing. We believe that together, we can deliver the shared ambition of a neighbourhood health service.”