23 May 2025

Healthcare reforms must include wider use of primary eye care, optical leaders urge Minister for Care

The College of Optometrists and the Optical Fees Negotiating Committee (OFNC) call on the government to make a long-term commitment to primary eye care in its NHS 10-Year Health Plan as part of the shift from hospital to community

The College of Optometrists and the Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee (OFNC) have written to the Minister for Care, Stephen Kinnock, urging further integration of primary eye care services to alleviate pressure on hospitals.

The open letter highlights the critical role the primary eye care sector plays as the first point of contact for patients and the gatekeepers to hospital services. Optical leaders stress that High Street optical practices and their teams already help to reduce ophthalmology waiting times, but need greater government support to maximise the sector's impact for the public and the NHS.

Key recommendations set out in the letter to the Minister include:

• Universal commissioning of community minor and urgent eye care services to release capacity in hospitals to deliver consultant-led care
• Enhanced IT connectivity to ensure seamless communication between primary eye care providers and hospital services
• Read-write access to patient records for all primary care professionals, supporting the NHS transition from analogue to digital

With 95% of the UK's eye health needs met within the primary eye care setting, optical leaders warn that healthcare reforms cannot succeed without long-term investment in the sector.

Read the letter in full.

The letter follows a positive exchange in the House of Commons earlier this month between Minister Kinnock and Marsha de Cordova MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Eye Health and Visual Impairment, which The College of Optometrists and OFNC welcome.

The NHS 10-Year Health Plan is expected to be published in the summer.

Note for Editors

The College of Optometrists
The College is the professional body for optometry. It qualifies the profession and delivers the guidance and training to ensure optometrists provide the best possible care. We promote excellence through the College's affixes, by building the evidence base for optometry, and raising awareness of the profession with the public, commissioners, and health care professionals.

Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee
The Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee (OFNC) is the national negotiating body for eye care in England with the Westminster Parliament, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England. It comprises the leaders of the UK representative bodies: The Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO), The Association of Optometrists (AOP), The Federation of Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians (FODO) and a representative from the BMA (for OMPs), and works in partnership with the College of Optometrists and the General Optical Council.