Primary Eyecare Services co-hosts HSJ Webinar showcasing £1 million savings through Community Eye Care

9 July 2026

Working with partners to improve access, reduce health inequalities and strengthen community-based care across Greater Manchester.

Primary Eyecare Services was proud to co-host a case study webinar in collaboration with the Health Service Journal (HSJ), showcasing how one Integrated Care Board (ICB) is pioneering the delivery of eye care closer to home.

During the webinar, Dharmesh Patel, Chief Executive Officer of Primary Eyecare Services, and Timothy Bagot, Clinical Lead at Primary Eyecare Services, presented a real-world case study from Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB. The session explored how community-based eye care services are supporting the NHS vision for neighbourhood healthcare, while generating savings of more than £1 million.

Katie Rimmer, Senior Commissioning Manager for Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB, also joined the webinar to discuss how strong partnerships between ICBs and providers can deliver accessible, high-quality eye care services closer to home.

Key takeaways from the session included the vital role community optometry plays in delivering more accessible, integrated care. Expanding community-based eye care services across more regions would enable more patients to receive treatment closer to home, improving convenience while reducing demand on secondary care services.

The webinar attracted strong engagement from attendees and generated valuable discussion around the benefits of integrating eye care services into community settings to improve access, strengthen patient outcomes and support overall system effectiveness.

Timothy Bagot, Clinical Lead for Lancashire, South Cumbria and North Cumbria, said:

“By shifting appropriate activity out of hospitals and secondary care settings into community care, we can improve access for patients while releasing vital capacity within secondary care services. Currently, around 80% of patients seen through community urgent eye care services are managed entirely within primary care. Primary Eyecare Services is proud to support a large cohort of patients who no longer need to access emergency eye services, ensuring they receive timely care closer to home.”