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.
The NHS Revolution GovConnect event, held in October 2025 in London, brought together healthcare leaders, policymakers and innovators to discuss the future of the NHS. The conference focused on three transformative shifts: moving care from hospitals to communities, embracing digital transformation and prioritising prevention over treatment. These themes are central to the current NHS strategy, which aims to restore the NHS as a sustainable, well-funded and publicly managed system.
A standout moment of the event was the presentation by our Chief Executive, Dharmesh Patel, who showcased how pioneering eye care models are already delivering on these ambitions. Dharmesh’s talk, “Eye Care: Pioneering Care Closer to Home”, highlighted the scale and impact of community-based eye care across England.
Meeting Demand with Innovation
Ophthalmology is now the largest outpatient specialty in the NHS, with nearly nine mullion appointments in England in 2023/24, an 11% annual increase. NHS spending on ophthalmology has surged by 52% since 2018/19, reflecting both rising demand and the urgent need for new approaches. Despite shorter waiting lists for cataract surgery, many other subspecialties face long delays. With over 5,000 optometry practices and a highly trained workforce, there is a unique opportunity to shift more care into the community.
Bringing Care Closer to Home
Primary Eyecare Services operates 800 neighbourhoods, collaborating with local optometry practices, NHS Trusts and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to deliver high-quality eye care. Services include urgent eye care, cataract assessments, children’s services, retinal diagnostics and glaucoma monitoring. These initiatives have supported both full and partial ICB coverage across England, making eye care more accessible and reducing pressure on hospitals.
The Community Urgent Eye Care Service (CUES) exemplifies this shift. In 2024/25, CUES saw over 60,000 patients in Greater Manchester alone, avoiding of A&E, outpatient and GP appointments. Only 17% of patients required hospital referral and a quarter of patients came from the most deprived areas, demonstrating the service’s role in tackling health inequalities.
Prevention, Sustainability and Patient Choice
The presentation also emphasised the importance of prevention and health equity. Programmes such as the Easy Eyecare Pathway and Hypertension Case Finding pilot are helping to address health inequalities and support NHS prevention goals. The Eye Care Navigation Service streamlines referrals, ensuring patients receive timely, appropriate care and reduce unnecessary hospital visits.
Crucially, these community-based models are also delivery environmental benefits. For example, the primary care glaucoma monitoring service has achieved a 66% reduction in carbon emissions compared to hospital-based care, while maintaining high safety and patient satisfaction.
A Model for the Future NHS
Dharmesh’s presentation at NHS Revolution GovConnect demonstrated how eye care is leading the way in delivering the NHS’s vision for care closer to home. By harnessing local expertise, digital innovation and a focus on prevention, Primary Eyecare Services is not only improving outcomes for patients but also supporting a more sustainable, efficient and equitable NHS for the future.