Cry for action to improve access to eye health care

Rallying cry for action to improve access to eye health care for people experiencing homelessness

A RALLYING cry for the eye health sector to come together to improve access to care, particularly for people experiencing homelessness, has been made in Parliament.

As part of its mission to remove unnecessary barriers that some people face to make eyecare more accessible, Specsavers held a Parliamentary Reception on 5 December at the House of Commons, hosted by MP for Battersea, Marsha De Cordova – who is calling for an integrated National Eye Health Strategy in England.

The event brought together a dynamic range of MPs, policy makers, charities and representatives from across the eye health sector, who all share an ambition to promote eye health equality and drive policy change for those most vulnerable and disadvantaged in society

The three key policy changes Specsavers is calling for include, ensuring people experiencing homelessness are eligible for an NHS-funded sight test and glasses, an NHS domiciliary service when attending a day centre or when staying in a shelter or hostel and without the 48-hour pre-visit notification requirement, which is a barrier in England, and free replacement NHS glasses if broken, lost or stolen due to their homelessness.

‘What we’re striving to do is improve access to care for everyone,’ said Dame Mary Perkins, co-founder of Specsavers and Patron for Vision Care for Homeless People (VCHP). ‘We need to remove barriers to make it easier for people experiencing homelessness to get the eye care.’

She said that it was important for the eye health sector to come together to improve care to people experiencing homelessness, highlighting Specsavers’ work with charities such as VCHP, Crisis and the Big Issue.

‘I am looking forward to working with everyone to improve access to care. It’s my passion in life – let’s make a difference. I am fully onboard with all of us in the optics industry – whether that’s different organisations, or different opticians in the high street – working together,’ said Dame Mary.

Specsavers is also increasing access to care by running eye clinics at Crisis outreach centres, setting up new clinics with VCHP and piloting out-of-hours clinics in community practices. The company is also providing Big Issue vendors with eye and ear care vouchers.

Speaking at the reception, MP Marsha de Cordova commended Specsavers for its work around access to care for people experiencing homelessness and issued a rallying call for collaboration to deliver positive change.

‘We need to ensure that those experiencing homelessness have access to eye care services as they are significantly more likely than the general population to experience eye health issues,’ she said.

She also said that a national eye health strategy for England would ensure that people could access the right care when and where they need it. ‘It would reduce eye health inequalities by improving access to eye health services in primary care for vulnerable and marginalised people by removing unnecessary barriers.’

The event heard how one in three people experiencing homelessness have sight issues[i], yet there are a multitude of barriers preventing them from accessing the care they need. This group has higher rates of glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration than the general populationⁱ, as well as other health conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, which if left untreated, can lead to permanent sight loss.

Lord Bird, co-founder of Big Issue, said: ‘Many people affected by homelessness need glasses to help them look for accommodation or a safe place to sleep, build their skills, apply for benefits, or get a job. Improving access to these simple services can have numerous, long-term benefits.’

Speaking from the reception, Steve Pratt, Director of Specsavers Crayford (pictured above) with personal experience of homelessness, said: ‘When I was homeless, looking after myself was not a priority. I know that by making eye care easy to access we can help give people experiencing homelessness dignity and self-worth. This is a first step to accessing other vital healthcare services and a more stable future. I’m so proud that at Specsavers we are playing our part.’

[i] D’Ath, P.J., Keywood, L.J., Styles, E.C. et al. ‘East London’s Homeless: a retrospective review of an eye clinic for homeless people’. BMC Health Serv Res 16, 54 (2016)