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Written question asked by Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party) on Monday, 9 October 2017, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 12 October 2017 (named day). It was answered by Steve Brine (Conservative) on Thursday, 12 October 2017 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Learning Disability: Eyesight

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) examination of eyes and (b) dispensing of glasses to adults and children with learning disabilities.

Answer

NHS England is responsible for commissioning the National Health Service sight testing service. They have established a working group to examine the issues affecting the provision of sight tests and glasses for both children and adults with learning disabilities and to reach a view on what if any changes are required to current patient pathways in order to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities for this cohort of patients. The working group has wide representation which includes Primary Care Policy and Commissioning, Ophthalmology, The British and Irish Orthoptic Society, SeeAbility and other professional bodies.

It is not possible to estimate the number of people with learning disabilities who have received a sight test in a hospital eye clinic as this data is not collected centrally.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
106782
Session
2017-19
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Eyesight Learning disability Standards Testing
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk