Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to issue guidance on hospital eye services partnering with local optometrists to deliver local care.

In England, integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the planning and commissioning of services to meet local needs. This includes decisions on how to configure services and whether to commission enhanced eye care services from primary eye care providers, which could include glaucoma monitoring and pre- and post-operative cataract checks.

NHS England have commissioned a range of pathfinder projects to examine how the current eye care pathways could be improved, including by the greater use of primary eye care providers. The outcomes of these projects will inform future commissioning decisions by ICBs.

In addition, to support ICBs in this area we are working with the profession and NHS England to develop a standard service specification for minor and urgent eye care services. These services have the potential to remove demand from hospital services and provide care for minor conditions closer to home.