03 July 2025

10-Year Health Plan for England commits to shift care out of hospital

FODO, the association for eye care providers, has welcomed the publication of the government's long-awaited plan for NHS reform, describing it as a necessary "rewiring" of the health service and a long-overdue shift from hospital-based models of care to more local, community-based provision.

The plan sets out three major shifts in NHS thinking:

• From analogue to digital
• From treatment to prevention
• From hospital to community

In the plan, the government commits to "broaden the eco-system of providers". In setting out the benefits of having a diverse range of providers, the plan highlights how primary care optometrists have worked with NHS Gloucestershire to reduce avoidable hospital referrals, resulting in a 14% reduction in waiting lists and improved convenience for patients.

The plan also makes a strong case for care to be delivered as close to home as possible, including meeting needs in patients' homes, something primary eye care providers are already leading the way on.

With ophthalmology being one of the busiest outpatient specialities, there is also a desire to prioritise the use of technology to reduce referrals to the hospital eye service.

Harjit Sandhu, FODO CEO, said:

"The plan is ambitious, and eye care is rightly identified as an opportunity to move care out of hospitals.

"We strongly support the plan giving patients more choice and control of their care, and the government making a strong commitment that resources will follow patients.

"Primary eye care has already proven it has the skills and infrastructure to reduce pressure on the hospital eye service, and the plan today shares an example of that with FODO members working with NHS Gloucestershire to significantly improve patient access to care.

"We also welcome the commitment to 'deconstruct block contracts' and realign payment with delivery. This is key to rebalancing expenditure from hospitals to the community.

"To ensure services are sustainable and the government's ambition to save the NHS is delivered, it is more important than ever to involve primary care in planning discussions as soon as possible. Doing so will help ensure that experts can assist the NHS commissioning system in avoiding mistakes of the past.

"We will continue to work with government and NHS leaders to ensure this plan translates into real improvements in access, outcomes and value for patients."

FODO remains committed to delivering high-quality, accessible care in the community, in line with our strategic goals, and to supporting NHS transformation efforts that put patients first.