Written Question

Ophthalmic Services

Monday 26th February 2024

Asked by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of enabling appropriately qualified optometrists to issue certificates of vision impairment.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise that the Certificate of Visual Impairment is an important step in enabling individuals with sight loss to access appropriate support. In England, that certification is currently undertaken by ophthalmologists, who are specialists in eye conditions. No assessment has yet been made of the potential merits of enabling appropriate qualified optometrists to issue certificates of visual impairment.

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Written Question

Ophthalmic Services

Wednesday 29th November 2023

Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will meet the Visual Impairment Charity Sector Partnership to discuss the RNIB's report entitled The eye care support pathway, published in November 2023.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department welcomes the publication of the Royal National Institute of Blind People's Eye Care Support Pathway. NHS England contributed to its development and is looking to embed the pathway in the eyecare transformation programme. Furthermore, NHS England has offered to support the dissemination of the pathway to eyecare commissioners and providers.

I will be scheduling meetings with a range of eye care stakeholders over the coming weeks and months and am looking forward to discussing this with relevant stakeholders.

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Select Committee

Guide Dogs for the Blind

YDP0070 - The transition from education to employment for young disabled people

Written Evidence Jan. 25 2024

Inquiry: Access to public services for young disabled people
Inquiry Status: Closed
Committee: Public Services Committee

Found: British Journal of Visual Impairment, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/02646196221144870 5 Key Stage

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Westminster Hall
Glaucoma and Community Optometry - Tue 30 Apr 2024
Department of Health and Social Care

Mentions:
1: Jim Shannon (DUP - Strangford) I was asked to come along as a health spokesperson to an eyesight and visual impairment event that took - Speech Link
2: Andrew Gwynne (Lab - Denton and Reddish) to reforming the system so that those with glaucoma and other eye health conditions can access care - Speech Link
3: Andrew Gwynne (Lab - Denton and Reddish) care and eye health services. - Speech Link

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