Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help increase the uptake of the NHS email system by optometrists.

NHS England is currently considering how image sharing between community optometry and secondary care could improve access to care and patient outcomes. Secure digital communications will be critical to achieving this goal, which is why NHS England is currently testing and evaluating a number of options, including the use of National Health Service mail.