News
Read the latest news and announcements from Primary Eyecare Services.
Bright Sight: Transforming Eye Care Access for Children with Learning Disabilities and Autism in Essex
5 March 2026
Bright Sight is a new school-based eye care service across Mid and South Essex, integrated by Primary Eyecare Services in partnership with NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB). Designed for children with learning disabilities and autism, the service provides sight tests and vision support directly in school, reducing stress and barriers of traditional clinic appointments. By uniting families, special schools and local eye care providers, Bright Sight offers a coordinated, child-centred approach that improves access, tackles inequalities and helps every child thrive through better vision.
NHS Confederation Programme: Trailblazing Transformations in Eye Care
14 February 2026
Primary Eyecare Services is the expert partner, working with NHS Confederation and Q Community on an ambitious eight-month improvement programme designed to shift more ophthalmology care from hospital into local communities. As waiting times continue to rise across the NHS, this collaborative initiative is helping local systems build the pathways, capacity and infrastructure needed to deliver safe, effective and accessible eye care closer to home. Through shared learning, expert coaching and strong engagement, the programme is already laying the foundations for long-term sustainable transformation in line with the NHS’s 10-Year Plan.
See the Possibilities: Empowering Lives with the Low Vision Service
10 February 2026
Sight loss affects millions across the UK, but with the right support, individuals can continue to live confidently and independently. Through partnerships with sight loss charities, Local Optical Committees (LOCs) and NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), Primary Eyecare Services delivers the Low Vision Service, a community-based programme offering tailored assessments, practical low-vision aids and personalised guidance. By bringing specialist support closer to home, the service helps people make the most of their remaining vision, reduce the impact of long waits in hospital care and stay connected to the daily activities that matter most.
Beat the Silent Threat: Blood Pressure Checks at Your Local Opticians!
6 February 2026
High blood pressure often goes unnoticed – yet millions in England live with it undiagnosed. To change that Primary Eyecare Services partnered with NHS England, NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and Local Optical Committees (LOCs) to pilot blood pressure checks during routine eye appointments. By bringing this simple, life-saving tests into local optometry practices, the pilot is helping identify hidden hypertension earlier, prevent serious health events and support the NHS 10-Year Plan’s focus on prevention and neighbourhood-led care.
Alder Hey: Bright Futures in Focus!
2 February 2026
Primary Eyecare Services is working in partnership with Alder Hey Hospital to deliver a new Post Vision Screening (PVS) Service for children in Sefton and Liverpool. Instead of travelling to hospital, children flagged during school vision screenings can now receive a full, enhanced sight test at their local optometry practice, bringing care closer to home, reducing pressure on Hospital Eye Services and giving families quicker, more convenient access to the support they need. This community-based approach streamlines the pathway, ensures only children who truly require specialist hospital care are referred onwards and supports the NHS 10-Year Plan by shifting more services into neighbourhood settings.
NHS Revolution GovConnect: Pioneering Eye Care Closer to Home
30 January 2026
At October’s NHS Revolution GovConnect event, leaders from across health and care came together to explore how the NHS can shift more services into communities, embrace digital innovation and strengthen prevention. Our Chief Executive, Dharmesh Patel showcased how Primary Eyecare Services is already delivering on this vision, demonstrating how community-based eye care is easing pressures on hospitals, improving access for patients and helping shape a more sustainable NHS for the future.
