18 November 2025
The Local Optical Committee Support Unit (LOCSU) has published its annual report 2024–2025, sharing activities and highlights from the 2024/25 period.
The report outlines events from the past year and how LOCSU addressed the 2024–2025 forward plan throughout the year.
Priorities covered in the report include: Increasing LOC focus, LOC development, and Protecting and increasing resource in primary eye care focus.
Janice Foster, CEO at LOCSU, said: “As always, we have been enthused and energised by the incredible work that LOCs undertake to support the delivery of primary care optometry services across England.”
“The hard work carried out to protect and extend services, ultimately working to provide the best possible care to patients across the country, is immense and hugely valuable,” she added.
The introduction to the report, penned by Foster and LOCSU chair Joy Tweedy, emphasised LOCSU’s focus on amplifying the voices of Local Optical Committees with national stakeholders.
The report shared that as of 31 March 2024, there were 497 enhanced eye care services in place across England.
“These have been commissioned for the benefit of patients, creating access to much needed services closer to home and delivered by the skilled primary health care workforce in local practices on the High Street,” the introduction stated.
Aspects of the report explore LOCSU’s priority of protecting and increasing resource in primary eye care, looking at building data and evidence bases.
For example, LOCSU produced the Community minor and urgent eye care service supporting case for LOCs, which aimed to inform discussions between LOCs and commissioners.
The report also highlights cardiovascular disease (CVD) case finding pilots in primary care optometry practices.
Work on this took place in Cheshire, London, Humber and North Yorkshire, in 2023. Based on the success of this work, LOCSU coordinated a working group to inform national engagement with NHS England’s Cardiovascular Prevention team.
LOCSU’s clinical director, Zoe Richmond, joined NHS England’s Cardiovascular Oversight Group to provide updates from the pilots.
As a result, LOCSU shared, it was able to secure additional investment of approximately £500,000 into primary care optometry to support the roll-out of CVD pilots across England.
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In 2024 there were nine optometry pilots, and LOCSU said: “LOCSU actively supports LOCs and informs local pilot evaluation with the aim of developing a model of delivery in optometry practices for successful CVD case-finding.”
The report looks at key events and resources produced throughout the year, including nine In Focus documents and briefing notes, designed to make complex national documents and guidance easily digestible, along with five new toolkits to help LOCs tackle challenges and embrace opportunities.
LOCSU expanded on its training delivery during the year. Its training platform hosted 13 on-demand training sessions, while LOCSU also held seven bitesize training sessions on topics ranging from reflective practice to time mastery.
A total of 1907 CPD points were issued to LOC colleagues by LOCSU during the period. This included sessions at Regional Optical Conferences, events, and induction courses.
The report looks at the Primary Eyecare Companies relationship development, as well as stress testing of the governance and structures. Advocacy for LOCs and the year’s finances are also included in the report.
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