Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of including (a) primary care optometrists and (b) other primary care clinicians on integrated care boards alongside primary medical clinicians such as GPs.

The Health and Care Act 2022 sets a minimum membership requirement for integrated care boards that includes representatives from National Health Service trusts, Primary Care and Local Authorities. However, the local areas can, by local agreement, go beyond the legislative minimum requirements in order to address their local needs.