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Ophthalmic Services

Question for Department of Health

UIN 118365, tabled on 8 December 2017

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to promote the greater use of community optometrists and opticians to relieve pressure on hospital eye departments.

Answered on

15 December 2017

Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning secondary care hospital eye services for their populations. CCGs are also able to commission eye care services in the community, over and above the National Health Service sight test, to meet local need. Given the size of England, and the diversity of the health needs of different communities, we believe commissioning needs to be owned and managed locally.