Ophthalmic Services

(asked on 23rd September 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase (a) funding for eye health services and (b) the effectiveness of public eye health strategy.


Answered by
Maria Caulfield Portrait
Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
This question was answered on 18th October 2021

The National Health Service is receiving £2 billion this year and an additional £8 billion across the next three years to increase activity and tackle elective backlogs caused by the pandemic, including in ophthalmic services.

NHS England and NHS Improvement’s National Eye Care Recovery and Transformation programme aims to transform secondary care ophthalmology services by using existing funding more effectively to improve service quality and patient outcomes. The programme is also looking for opportunities to invest in eye care services in order to move activity into primary care settings, supported by specialists in NHS trusts.

The Public Health Outcomes Framework Eye Health Indicator continues to track the rate of sight loss for age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. This information is available to commissioners and can also be used to drive improved local outcomes and interventions.

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