Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the ability of the ophthalmology sector to deliver timely care in (a) Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB and (b) in England in the context of the proposed changes to the 2025/26 NHS Standard Contract and Payment Scheme.

Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the proposed 2025/26 NHS Standard Contract and Payment Scheme for ophthalmology services in England, or specifically for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board, we are committed to ensuring that timely treatment is available across all specialties and all areas. As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure a return to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment, by March 2029. We have already made progress, delivering on our commitment to provide two million extra appointments as a first step to achieving this.

We have also published our Elective Reform Plan, which sets out an expectation that performance against the 18 week standard will increase from 58% in December 2024 to 65% by March 2026, with every trust expected to deliver a minimum 5% improvement by March 2026.

Planning guidance for 2025/26 also sets clear targets, including reducing the elective waiting list, but gives local systems greater control and flexibility over how local funding is deployed to best meet the needs of the people they serve.