PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(2 December 2024)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that the fee paid to deliver the Special Schools Eye Care Service is not reduced so that (a) children with Special Educational Needs can receive free eye care in schools and (b) eye care professionals can afford to provide the service.

Asked by:
Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat)

To address the access challenges that children and young people with learning disabilities or autism, or both, face in accessing high street sight testing services, regulations were laid on 28 November to support the roll out of sight testing in special educational setting across England.

NHS England has committed to invest up to £12.7 million annually from 2024/25 on the provision of sight tests and associated optical vouchers in special educational settings. This represents an approximate 87% increase compared to previous levels of spending. This additional investment has the potential to increase coverage from 4% of special educational settings to 100%.

NHS England has held a number of recent engagement events with potential providers across the country, and there has been healthy interest so far. NHS England will continue to engage with key stakeholders, including the ophthalmic and voluntary sector, and provide support to local integrated care boards, in the roll out of the service.

Answered by:
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1 January 1970