“We are now in an eye health emergency”

De Cordova, MP for Battersea since 2017, is focused on working both within her constituency and on a national level in Government to raise awareness of the importance of eye health and the “able and willing” workforce within optometry that, as she has observed, is “willing and waiting” to support secondary care and its patient backlogs.

“What has been striking for me is the desire of so many [optometrists] who want to be part of the joining up of community primary care with secondary care to make a difference and to alleviate the pressure on our hospitals,” she told OT.

“When you have an industry willing and waiting, why would you not grab it with both hands?” she emphasised. 

All about data

Data is important to de Cordova, who calls the statistics available on preventable sight loss “shocking.” She highlights that, today, an estimated two million people are living with sight loss in the UK, with this number set to double by 2050. She believes that this data “should worry everyone.”

“Nobody should be losing their sight unnecessarily when there are treatments available for some conditions if they are detected early enough. 50% of all sight loss is avoidable, but obviously a lot of work needs to be done in eye healthcare, and we need to be preventing people from losing their sight unnecessarily,” the MP said.

Reflecting on the issues that de Cordova feels need to be resolved in eye care as a priority, the MP’s list includes waiting lists. Highlighting ophthalmology as the busiest outpatient specialty in secondary care, “currently there are more than 600,000 people waiting to be seen in England, making up almost 10% of the entire wait list,” she stressed.

De Cordova believes there has been a lack of action when it comes to prioritising eye health. “I think back to earlier periods under the last Labour government there was spending on eye healthcare, and that really hasn’t been matched,” she said.

“I genuinely believe that after 14 years of Conservative government in power, we are now in an eye health emergency,” she told OT. “Pre-pandemic there was a crisis, and COVID-19 has really exacerbated it. If we don't take action now, I dread to think what will happen,” she added.

De Cordova feels that the lack of investment has led to fragmentation of care and, ultimately, a postcode lottery. “Only 23 of the 42 integrated care boards across England consistently commission community eye care services. Now imagine if all 42 did and the potential difference and impact that could have on anybody experiencing sight loss,” she said.

I genuinely believe that after 14 years of Conservative government in power, we are now in an eye health emergency. Pre-pandemic there was a crisis, and COVID-19 has really exacerbated it. If we don't take action now, I dread to think what will happen

On the ground in Battersea

Meeting OT via video call at 9am on a mid-March morning, de Cordova had already spoken to a professional living in her consistency who is losing their sight. The designer is looking to retrain as he is concerned about his ability to continue in his current role. “That is potentially life-changing,” she said.

In January, de Cordova partnered with the AOP to host a roundtable with four eye care practitioners to better understand the challenges eye care practitioners are facing in her constituency. 

Sharing her observations from the event, which was held at Karen Lockyer Opticians on Northcote Road, Clapham Junction, the MP told OT that she saw first-hand how primary care providers can assist patients to prevent people having to present to the hospital.

“[Optometrists] are well equipped and have the skills required to support secondary care,” she said.

The MP explained, that “like many opticians, Karen’s practice has all of the skills and equipment required to triage, which means they can help reduce unnecessary referrals into the hospital.”

However, she warned that systems in too many areas, including Karen Lockyer’s, are not consistently put in place. One example that practitioners expressed their concerns about during the roundtable was referral pathways.

“I know Karen has had difficulties in being able to register to get the NHS infrastructure, such as email and so forth, in place. This should not be a major challenge… and should be easy to rectify, but from the feedback I got, it is taking some time to resolve, which is a shame.”

While her immediate focus may be on her Battersea constituency, ultimately de Cordova wants “every constituency in the country to have good quality eye healthcare available in the community, which will alleviate pressure on secondary care.”

It is this desire that led to her call for a National Eye Health Strategy for England.

Only 23 of the 42 integrated care boards across England consistently commission community eye care services. Now imagine if all 42 did and the potential difference and impact that could have on anybody experiencing sight loss

The Bill

In November 2022, de Cordova addressed the Commons to announce her Bill proposing a National Eye Health Strategy for England.

Currently, England is the only devolved nation without a national eye health strategy, a fact de Cordova had hoped to rectify. However, while its first reading was welcomed across the sector, the Bill’s second reading was postponed and then automatically cancelled as the King’s speech to Parliament, setting out the Government’s upcoming legislative priorities, was tabled just two weeks before the reading.

Discussing the Bill with OT, de Cordova explained that she wanted to introduce it with the primary aim of “ensuring that, regardless of where one lives, everyone can have access to good quality eye care when and where they need it, which would also seek to address some of the inequalities in access to eye healthcare as well.”

The Bill seeks to reduce waiting times, improve patient experience, improve the joining up of primary and secondary care, and increase the capacity and the skills of the workforce, de Cordova explained.

At the heart of the Bill is a vision for the national oversight of eye care with a focus on local delivery.

“I’m obviously not letting go of my Bill,” the MP emphasised. “I hope to re-table it before this parliamentary session ends, which is ultimately when the Prime Minister decides to call an election – so the sooner the better really.”

Asked what the Government should be doing now in order to support eye health in the future, the MP states simply, “invest.”

“I think they have got to invest. We need proper investment in the workforce to ensure it is fit for purpose going forward; we need more funding when it comes to areas of IT and infrastructure, and I cannot stress enough the importance of data collection. Finally, it also has to focus on public health messaging to ensure that people know where they can go and access eye care.”