The Eye's Have it, The Eye's Have it...
It was great to attend the Westminster Eye Health Day 2023 Parliamentary Drop-In with Ovid Health. The Eyes Have It is continuing to call for a national plan for eye care in England, to drive improvements in patient care and outcomes, enabling everyone to access the right care, where and when they need it.
We have to start laying the foundations for the future of eye health in England.
The partnership’s new report ‘Laying the foundations for the future of eye health in England’ sets out key recommendations which should form the basis of a national plan for eye care in England. The report can be read at www.eyeshaveit.co.uk.
People’s experiences of eye care vary significantly across the UK. In Uxbridge and South Ruislip. 2.6% of people were living with sight loss as of 2022, while 44.2% of people were waiting over 12 weeks for specialist NHS eye care treatment as of July 2023.
With the rebuilding of Hillingdon Hospital, and working closely alongside SeeAbility for SEND youth - eye care is something I care about and support all the way. I will work hard with the healthcare sector in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, to reduce NHS waiting lists. I am already really pleased that with the Chancellor's Autumn Statement in 2022, the Conservative government's spending commitments are focusing £8 billion of funding for the NHS and adult social care in England in 2024-25. As part of this, the Government is investing an additional £3.3 billion in 2023-24 and 2024-25 to support the NHS in England and improve elective performance, and therefore cut the waiting times.