Millions to get faster eye care on the high street

• People with a range of eye conditions will get more accurate referrals as optometrists gain direct access to NHS digital systems
• Government investment will roll out the NHS e-Referral service to every optical practice with an NHS contract in England, cutting unnecessary hospital trips and reducing pressure on GPs
• New NHS England guidance on glaucoma will help hundreds of thousands of more patients receive follow-up appointments on time, preventing avoidable sight loss

Millions of people are set to benefit from faster eye care as the government invests £20 million to digitise referrals from the high street.

Community-based optometrists will be able to refer patients directly and digitally into NHS hospital eye services - including NHS Online when it launches next year - with access to relevant patient records to support faster and more accurate clinical decisions.

This will reduce unnecessary referrals and mean fewer people need a separate appointment simply to be passed on to a specialist, saving patients time and easing pressure on GPs.

The investment will give every optical practice with an NHS contract in England access to the NHS e-Referral service and the National Care Record Service, with the aim of achieving 100% access by April 2028. 

This is set to bring eye care out of hospitals and into communities, so patients can get quicker care, closer to home.

Health and Care Minister, Stephen Kinnock, said:

For too long, patients have faced unnecessary delays, avoidable trips to hospital and a fragmented system that hasn't put their needs first. That changes from today.

This £20 million investment will bring eye care closer to home, equipping high-street optometrists with the digital tools they need to refer patients faster and more accurately

This is exactly the kind of modernisation that will help shift the NHS from a one-size-fits-all, hospital-first model to one that is community-based, preventative and truly fit for the future.

The £20 million will fund access to the NHS e-Referral service for all community-based optical practices in England with NHS Contracts, enabling direct digital referrals into NHS secondary care. Practices will also gain access to the National Care Record Service, allowing optometrists to view relevant eye care records to inform their clinical decision-making and save patients having to repeat their issues.

The funding will also cover training and support for practices to make full use of the new systems.

Professor Tim Briggs, GIRFT programme lead and NHS England National Director for Clinical Improvement, Elective Recovery and Urgent and Emergency Care, said: 

We must do everything we can to reduce the risk of avoidable sight loss which can have a huge impact on people's independence.

Alongside new investment, our new national NHS guidance for glaucoma care will benefit hundreds of thousands of patients, ensuring they receive earlier diagnosis and follow-up care closer to home, while helping to clear the backlog.

In areas where digital referral systems are already in place, GP referrals for eye care have already fallen, demonstrating the potential of this national roll-out to reduce unnecessary demand across the wider health system and free up GP appointments for other patients.

Alongside this investment, NHS England has published the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Glaucoma Best Practice Guidance  the first of its kind for England. 

Elizabeth Wilkinson, Consultant ophthalmologist at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said:  

We've been using a high volume, virtual pathway in Devon since 2021. At that time, we had about 4000 glaucoma patients in our backlog queue and nine month waits for new appointments.

Using these transformational methods, we can now proudly say we have cleared our glaucoma backlog and see new patients within weeks. Our patients have much shorter 45-minute appointments, compared to two-three hours previously. They universally praise the new service saying, this is the way the NHS should be run'.

We believe that we should be able deliver on time, every time' and the GIRFT best practice guide will help other services to do exactly that - whatever the hospital size, location and current performance position.

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of preventable sight loss in the UK. When detection is late or follow-up is delayed, the consequences for patients can be severe and permanent, affecting their independence, ability to work and quality of life.

This guidance, when implemented across England, could enable hundreds of thousands of patients with glaucoma to receive their follow-up care on time helping to prevent avoidable sight loss.

Joanne Creighton, Chief Executive, Glaucoma UK, said: 

The publication of the GIRFT guidance is an important step for glaucoma care at a time when services are under real pressure. Improving early detection, strengthening referral pathways and making better use of digital systems all have the potential to create a more joined-up and less stressful experience for patients. 

The recommendation in the national guidance to refer patients to Glaucoma UK also reinforces what people living with glaucoma tell us consistently that good care goes beyond diagnosis, monitoring and treatment, and depends on access to clear, trusted information and support at every stage.

Rob Cooper, RNIB's Head of Strategic Engagement and Implementation, said:  

We welcome today's publication of a clear, evidence-based framework to improve how glaucoma is detected and managed for patients. Over a million people in the UK live with glaucoma, but too many people are unaware they have it, and once detected, follow up care and support can be delayed, putting people's sight at risk. 

The announcement of new funding to improve connectivity has the potential to improve the eye care which patients receive if the appropriate digital capabilities are enabled this could prevent the need to repeat scans, for instance, when images can't be shared between different settings. This improved connectivity could at the same time enable the speedy referral of patients to emotional and practical support from charities like RNIB, which we know is a critical component to living well with sight loss.

Daniel Hardiman-McCartney, clinical advisor at The College of Optometrists, said: 

We were pleased to contribute to the new GIRFT guidance for glaucoma care. The guidance has a clear emphasis on the vital role of primary care optometry in identifying and managing patients closer to home, helping prevent avoidable sight loss.