The NHS Confederation has stated that it will support local teams in understanding, planning, and creating the infrastructure and processes to move ophthalmology care closer to a home setting by July 2026.
Each team will focus on a chosen sub-specialty of ophthalmology, with the ultimate aim of creating and designing a local transition plan to provide ophthalmology services closer to home. Some teams are also expected to move on to the implementation stage.
The programme will run for eight months from November 2025 to July 2026, with up to six teams selected across England.
Participating teams will take part in six structured virtual learning sessions and receive tailored coaching and expert input to help create their local transition plans.
Applications open on 8 October and close on 30 October.
The confederation pointed out that as of early 2025, ophthalmology remains the busiest outpatient specialty in the NHS.
These services include the diagnosis, treatment, and management of a wide range of eye disorders such as cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, and infections.
Long waits for outpatient procedures can lead to harm for patients and potentially permanently reduce a person’s quality of life.
NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor said, “Much has been said about the left-shift and moving care closer to home, and the benefits are universally acknowledged. But for the NHS to be fit for the future, we now have to move from theory to practice.
"Those who can do this successfully will not only make a difference to patients within their own areas, but will serve as part of the vanguard for the change that we need to see nationally. I am proud that the NHS Confederation and our partners Primary Eyecare Services are taking the lead on supporting members to make that shift a reality through this new programme of work."
Primary Eyecare Services chief executive Dharmesh Patel said, “As members of the NHS Confederation through the Primary Care Network, we are delighted to be selected as an expert partner for this programme, using our expertise to bring together and support teams to design solutions for how this can be done in practice.”
Jen Morgan, System Wide Change at the Q Community, said, “There are huge opportunities in moving care out of hospitals into the community, but it is only through examining the whole system involved in providing that care that we can move from ideas to successful practice.
"Through the Q community, we've supported and showcased impactful examples of solutions that are improving care while moving it closer to home. So we are delighted to bring our knowledge and experience to guiding the teams focused on critical ophthalmology services."
