Vision screening of 4 to 5 year olds at school entry

The request was successful.

The College of Optometrists

Dear FOI officer

The British and Irish Orthoptic Society on behalf of the Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning are writing to make an open request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

There is a national recommendation, by the UK National Screening committee, to offer orthoptic-led vision screening to children at aged 4-5 years, mainly to ensure that amblyopia (reduced vision), is detected and treated at an age where treatment has the potential to improve vision.

Public Health England introduced service specifications for a Vision Screening Service in 2017. We are concerned that a Vision Screening service is currently not being offered to all children aged 4-5 years in England leading to inequality of eye health care provision.

We are aware that the responsibility for commissioning 0 - 5 year children’s public health services has transferred from the NHS to Local Authorities; and that in addition there are to be significant cuts to Local Authority Public Health funding which may affect these services

We would be grateful if you could answer the following questions (for the financial year 2019/2020) to determine the arrangements made by your local authority to commission vision screening for your eligible resident population and it’s quality assurance.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Olivier Denève

Secretary to the Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning

Questions

1. Do you currently commission vision screening in school of children aged 4-5 years old? Y / N

If YES, would you please:

2. List the key features of your commissioned screening service:

a. Settings (e.g. school).
b. Screening personnel (e.g. orthoptist, school nurse or other health professional).
c. The onward care pathway for children who fail the vision screening.
d. The quality assurance (QA) processes (audit) and identified clinical lead for the vision screening service

3. Tell us how you monitor if every child in your Local Authority has been tested (including those in private schools or those who are home-schooled).

4. Tell us whether the programme will be commissioned again in the next financial year

5. If NO- you do not currently commission a vision screening service in your area, would you please tell us :

a. why you do not commission vision screening?
b. whether a service is planned for the next financial year (2020/21)?
c. whether an existing service in your area has been recently decommissioned."?

freedomofinformation, Wakefield City Council

Dear The College of Optometrists,

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - REQUEST FOR INFORMATION 

 

Thank you for your email requesting information under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.  It is our intention to have the response delivered
to you by 05 August 2019.

 

I would like to inform you that all requests submitted under the Freedom
of Information Act 2000 might be subject to exemption(s), which the
Authority is entitled to apply to refuse the request.

 

Any future correspondence you may have in relation to this matter should
be marked Private & Confidential and sent to the Senior Information
Governance Officer, Information Management Team, County Hall, Wakefield
WF1 2QW or e-mailed to [1][Wakefield City Council request email].

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Information Governance Officer

Corporate Information Governance Team,

Legal and Governance

Wakefield Council, County Hall, Wakefield WF1 2QW

Email: [2][Wakefield City Council request email]

Tel: 01924 306112

 

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freedomofinformation, Wakefield City Council

Dear Mr Deneve,

 

Freedom of Information Act 2000 - Request for Information

 

I am writing in respect of your recent enquiry for information held by the
Authority under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

 

Please find the response to your request below.

 

1.    Do you currently commission vision screening in school of children
aged 4-5 years old?      Yes.

 

If YES, would you please:

 

2.    List the key features of your commissioned screening service:

 

a.      Settings (e.g. school).

School (reception year).

b.    Screening personnel (e.g. orthoptist, school nurse or other health
professional). Vision screening is carried out by the school nursing
service as part of reception health assessment.

c.    The onward care pathway for children who fail the vision screening.
Parents are sent a letter informing them that their child has failed the
vision screening, and are advised to make an appointment with the
community optometrist.

d.    The quality assurance (QA) processes (audit) and identified clinical
lead for the vision screening service. The vision screening service is led
by the 0-19 (health visiting and school nursing service) service manager,
who is a registered school nurse, and there is input from the orthoptic
service at Mid-Yorkshire Hospitals Trust.

 

3.    Tell us how you monitor if every child in your Local Authority has
been tested (including those in private schools or those who are
home-schooled).  All children (including those in private schools and
those being home schooled) have an individual record on the 0-19 service’s
caseload. This ensures that all children are offered the full range of
0-19 services, including vision screening.

 

4.    Tell us whether the programme will be commissioned again in the next
financial year Yes.

 

5.    If NO- you do not currently commission a vision screening service in
your area, would you please tell us :

 

a.    why you do not commission vision screening?

b.    whether a service is planned for the next financial year (2020/21)?

c.    whether an existing service in your area has been recently
decommissioned?

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any further queries
regarding this matter.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Senior Information Governance Officer

Information Governance Team

Legal and Governance

Wakefield Council

Tel: 01924 306112

E-mail: [1][Wakefield City Council request email]

 

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