Vision screening of 4 to 5 year olds at school entry

NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group did not have the information requested.

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?

FOI (NHS SALFORD CCG), NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group

2 Attachments

Dear Olivier,

 

Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request.  This has been
logged and given the reference number FOI/926/2019.

 

Should the CCG hold the information that you have requested, we would
respectfully ask you not to publish this on any website or in any other
publications where:

o a charge may be made to access it,
o or subscription is charged to access the site.

NHS Salford CCG hold the copyright for any information it produces and
would not be prepared to authorise its re-use where a charge is made. This
is in accordance with the provisions of the Re-Use of Public Sector
Information Regulations 2005.

 

Kind regards,

 

Freedom of Information Team

NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group

 

7th Floor, St James’s House

Pendleton Way

Salford

M6 5FW

0161 212 4960

 

[1][email address]

[2]www.salfordccg.nhs.uk

 

 

 

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FOI (NHS SALFORD CCG), NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group

3 Attachments

Hello,

 

Please find the response to your Freedom of Information request attached.

 

Kind regards,

 

Freedom of Information Team

NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group

 

7th Floor, St James’s House

Pendleton Way

Salford

M6 5FW

0161 212 4960

 

[1][email address]

[2]www.salfordccg.nhs.uk

 

 

 

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