29 September 2026
Specsavers launched its new Access to Care 2026 Report at the Labour Party Conference this weekend (Sunday 27 September).
Sight loss is already causing multiple challenges, Specsavers emphasised in the report.
The report noted that “sight and hearing loss are already major public health, workforce and economic challenges.”
There are 2.38 million people with sight loss in the UK, and this is expected to rise by 31% by 2040, according to Specsavers’ Care Gap research.
Here are the key takeaways from the Access to Care 2026 Report.
1 Devolved nations leading the way
In his introduction to the Access to Care 2026 Report, clinical services director (optics) at Specsavers, Giles Edmonds, noted that “investment in community eye care in Wales and Scotland, along with innovative commissioning by some integrated care boards (ICBs) in England, is “helping make better use of community capacity to improve patient access.”
The expansion of the Wales General Ophthalmic Services contract in 2023 and investment in the National Eye Service Glaucoma Advanced Training programme in Scotland are cited as specific examples of good practice in the report.
The NIPEARS PLUS pilot, which allowed independent prescribing optometrists in Northern Ireland to see a wider range of eye conditions within the community, was also highlighted.
Jill Campbell, head of clinical performance and optometry at Specsavers and Optometry Northern Ireland committee member, said: “We look forward to the extension of this successful model throughout Northern Ireland.”
2 Glaucoma services continue to prove “strong clinical and economic value”
The NHS’ new Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) guidance, published in May 2026, demonstrated the importance of community glaucoma services, Edmonds said in the Access to Care 2026 Report.
The GIRFT Best Practice for Glaucoma Services guidance, which includes a foreword by national clinical director for eye care and Moorfields Eye Hospital ophthalmologist, Louisa Wickham, suggests that “strategies are adopted to increase uptake of sight tests in high-risk groups and those in deprived areas, to support early detection and prevent severe sight loss.”
It also advises a single point of access for optometrists referring glaucoma patients into secondary care. Continuity of care, safe interventions and appropriate follow-up are also covered in the guidance.
The GIRFT guidance is “underpinned by robust clinical evidence” and “recommends a greater role for community optometrists in glaucoma care to improve access and reduce pressure on hospital eye services,” the report suggested.
3 Access to Care scale offers a visualisation of the postcode lottery for eye care
An interactive map on the Specsavers stand at the Labour Party Conference, included in static form in the Access to Care 2026 Report, allowed visitors a clear visual of how their parliamentary constituency fares when it comes to commissioned eye care and hearing services within communities.
Constituencies were ranked from zero stars (dark red) to five stars (dark green), with the former signifying little or no community eye or hearing care provision.
“The map highlights significant variation in access to care and demonstrates where patients could benefit from more services being delivered closer to home,” the report explained.
4 Primary care optometry should be included in health and social care reforms
In the report, Foster noted that primary care optometry should be included in any future health and social care plan.
“LOCSU calls on commissioners and system leaders to make vision a core component of healthy ageing and frailty strategies,” Foster said.
The call came after Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, made a pledge to reform social care in his speech ahead of the opening of the Labour Party Conference on Sunday 27 September.
5 Moving care from hospital to community benefits the High Street
Taking care out of hospitals and focusing it in communities instead can offer opportunities for the High Street, Specsavers suggested in the Access to Care 2026 Report.
Specsavers has added £1.767 billion gross added value to the UK economy so far in 2026 and is “playing a central role in improving the health of our High Streets,” the report said.
Health care providers are now “anchors of the modern High Street” through the job opportunities they offer and the support they can provide for local economies, the report added.
6 A new “access to care” model should be adopted to save £2.91 billion per year by 2040
Specsavers has proposed a new model of care that it said would save approximately £2.91 billion per year up to 2040.
The “access to care” model would deliver more sight and hearing care services in community settings, make better use of primary care services to improve access to care, reduce waiting times, and relieve pressure on hospitals and GPs, the report outlined.
The model would also include universal access to community urgent eye care, community glaucoma services, nationally commissioned primary care audiology services, and removal of prior visit notifications to improve access to care for patients receiving care in domiciliary settings.
The model comes as a result of Specsavers’ Care Gap Analysis, and has been called a “blueprint” for eye and hearing care by the company.
Savings would come from health and care itself, as well as from increased quality of life, lower social care costs, and increased productivity, Specsavers said.
7 Eye care practitioners should “advocate for change”
Clinicians should “continue to deliver great care” but should also advocate for change and ensure that they champion the roles that they already have in caring for their communities, Specsavers said in the report.
At the same time, the company wants politicians and policymakers to “understand current gaps in access to care,” and ensure that the required changes are made at a national level, the report said.
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