Talking eye health at party conferences

We began in Birmingham at the Reform UK conference, where the focus was on the first 100 days of a Reform government, and the message “time for change”. 

With no dedicated health sessions and the party yet to appoint a health spokesperson, there is currently no settled position on eye care. This provides an early opportunity to help shape Reform’s thinking before its health policies develop. 

Conversations with Reform members and MPs revealed strong trust in local optometrists and pharmacists. There was also support for working with the private sector to deliver more NHS services and a commitment to supporting the high street. 

We will engage with Reform’s health lead once appointed and make the case for primary eye care as an essential, accessible and community-based service.

The Labour Party returned to Liverpool for what was Andy Burnham’s first as Prime Minister; and where he announced that a new National Care Service would be introduced in the next Parliament.  

The College engaged with policymakers and health organisations throughout the conference. Prevention, care closer to home, better integrated care and technology, were prominent themes. These priorities align closely with the contribution optometry can make to a more accessible and sustainable NHS. 

As the Government develops its neighbourhood health agenda and implements the 10-Year Health Plan, there is a significant opportunity to ensure that optometry is recognised as part of the solution. Optometrists already provide accessible, preventative and high-quality care in communities across England. 

Our focus now is to build the evidence-base and policy case for expanding this role, strengthening relationships with key organisations and stakeholders, and promoting practical proposals for integrated eye-care pathways.

The College concluded the conference season back in Birmingham. We joined fringe sessions hosted by The Health Foundation, Ipsos, The NHS Alliance, Resolution Foundation, Prosper UK, More in Common UK and Total Politics.  

We had valuable conversations with politicians, policymakers and party members about the future of primary care and the NHS. 

The new Shadow Health Secretary, Damian Hinds MP, confirmed his commitment to the three shifts: hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention. He described them as longstanding positions held by successive governments, and as a common-sense approach.  

At The NHS Alliance fringe event, we asked what policy changes would enable primary and secondary care to work together to commission effective and innovative pathways. Gregory Stafford MP, Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with the primary care brief, said the shadow health team are in listening mode. He acknowledged that England's postcode lottery does not serve patients well, that pathway innovation needs genuine collaboration between primary and secondary care, and was open to making NHS Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) more inclusive of primary care.