Latest News from Hampshire LOC 20 March 2026

20 March 2026

Important Information for Practices in North East Hampshire from HIOW ICB

We are writing to inform you of important upcoming changes to commissioning arrangements that may affect the services you currently provide to patients, who are registered with a GP in the North East Hampshire area.

As part of NHS England’s programme to implement Integrated Care Board (ICB) mergers and population boundary changes from 1^st April 2026, responsibility for commissioning/ paying for services will change in line with the national technical guidance published on 23^rd September 2025 and form part of a statutory process.

NHS Frimley ICB will cease to exist and patients in the North East Hampshire area, will become the responsibility of NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB.

As a result, your North East Hampshire patients will be also covered in the current HIOW ICB Single Point of Access (SPoA) referral cataract pathway.

From the week commencing 30th of March, we ask that all cataract referrals are made via the SPoA service for patients in the HIOW ICB region.

Referral Guidelines/Information

Attached, you will find the HIOW referral guidance and patient leaflet, which includes all the information you need to begin using the pathway. 

Next Steps
Please familiarise yourself with the available documentation and further information on the websites of the

ICB: https://www.hantsiow.icb.nhs.uk/cataracts and

LOC: https://www.loc-online.co.uk/hampshire-loc/routine-cataract-referrals/.

In due course all materials will be updated to reflect the geographical and organisational changes.

We are committed to supporting you throughout this transition. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at hiowicb-hsi.cataractspoa@nhs.net.

Neighbourhood Health Survey: Hampshire County Council Residents Only: Due March 30th 2026

The NHS is asking for people’s views on proposals to create 24 neighbourhood areas across Hampshire to help deliver care closer to home.

As part of this work, NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight has proposed 24 areas within the county where services can be planned around the needs of local communities.

The proposal has been drawn up after working closely with Hampshire County Council public health teams and is part of an ongoing conversation with district and borough local authorities and health partners across Hampshire.
The survey is open to people living in Hampshire, excluding Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight, which will have their own neighbourhood health areas.

Research Request: Liverpool University Study on DVLA/DVA Driving Vision Standards

Liverpool University is conducting research into how eye care professionals in the UK interpret and advise patients on DVLA/DVA driving vision standards, particularly in relation to visual field guidelines. The research team is seeking input from optometrists and others who provide this advice as part of their clinical role.

They are inviting practitioners to complete a short online survey (approximately 10 minutes):
https://forms.office.com/e/GNXJi8EMLC

Please see flyer: Here

The aim of the study is to understand current levels of knowledge, how guidance is communicated to patients, and whether further training or support would be beneficial.

Eye care professionals can support this research by completing the survey themselves and by sharing it with colleagues who also advise on driving vision standards.