Latest News from Hampshire LOC – 21 February 2025

22 February 2025

Important Information – Hampshire and Isle of Wight Contracts Primary EyeCare Service Update

Dear Colleagues,

Primary Eyecare Services, along with the Local Optical Committee (LOC), met with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB) to discuss decommissioning and exit arrangements following the announcement that the glaucoma, cataract and enhanced triage contracts would come to an end on the 31st March 2025.

The ICB are working through exit arrangements and will be writing out to Primary Care Optometry in the coming weeks with alternative provision details and key dates.

As an interim there will be a key change in the West Hampshire Triage service – there will be no redirection into community services from Monday 24th February. You can continue to send referrals via the West Hampshire Triage Service and these will be processed to the appropriate secondary care provider. The decision was taken to stop redirection to minimise the risk of patients being directed into a service that may not exist by the time the patient arranges an appointment to be seen. (You can still provide glaucoma referral filtering services (GRR &GERS) to your own patients until the end of the contract.)

Thank you for your continued support as we navigate this uncertain period.

Kind regards,

Primary Eyecare Services

Join OpenSight as a Trustee

OpenSight are looking for pro-active, enthusiastic and motivated people to add to the experience and knowledge of our existing Board, and would particularly welcome applications from professionals providing Ophthalmic Services across Hampshire.

OpenSight is a leading charity in Hampshire, supporting people with a vision impairment to engage fully and confidently in their communities, through offering tailored support to all age groups to help reduce isolation and facilitate independence…

Further information and how to apply can be found – here