Potential merits of a national eye health strategy

There is no national eye health strategy for England. In November 2022, Marsha De Cordova put forward a motion calling for a Bill to require the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to publish a national eye health strategy for England. She proposed that the strategy would include measures for improving eye health outcomes, reducing waiting times for eye health care, improving patient experiences of eye health care, ensuring that providers of eye health care work together in an efficient way, increasing the capacity and skills of the eye health care workforce, and making more effective use of research and innovation in eye health care.

In April 2023 the Government responded to a parliamentary question about the potential merits of implementing a national eye health strategy for England. The Government said that NHS England has appointed Louisa Wickham as a national clinical director for eyecare to oversee the recovery of eye care services and longer-term transformation. The response also noted action already being taken to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of sight-threatening conditions (PQ 177958, Ophthalmic Services, 17 April 2023).

There was a Westminster Hall debate on eye health on 15 December 2022. The Hansard for this debate is available here: Eye Health - Hansard - UK Parliament

Further background can be found in the Commons Library debate briefing prepared ahead of this debate, A blueprint for eye health in England and the devolved nations (14 December 2022).