Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure primary care optometrists are used effectively to help relieve the caseload of general practice.

In England, integrated care boards are responsible for the planning and commissioning of services to meet local needs. This includes decisions on whether to commission locally enhanced services, such as minor eye conditions services, from primary eye care providers. NHS England’s transformation programme is also considering how eye care services should be commissioned for the future, this includes considering a greater role for primary eye care providers.