Latest data reveals 77% of CCGs now offer an urgent eye care service

1 December 2020

 

LOCSU data shows a 24% increase in the number of CCGs with either a CUES or MECS services commissioned since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. In April 2020, 84 CCGs had a MECS-type service commissioned for delivery by optical practices and by November this had increased to a total of 104 services commissioned. These services are a mix of MECs and CUES services.

To break the data down further:

• April 2020 – 62% of CCGs (84/135) had a MECS service commissioned
• July 2020 – 73% of CCGs (98/135) had an urgent service commissioned (MECS/CUES)
• Nov 2020 – 77% of CCGs (104/135) have an urgent service commissioned

Zoe Richmond, LOCSU Interim Clinical Director said “We are pleased to see these figures but there is still more work to be done. I believe people should have access to urgent eyecare from their local optical practice, regardless of where they live. Within LOCSU we will continue to prioritise the promotion of CUES in the hope that we continue to “fill the gaps”. We will do this by working with the National Outpatient Programme for Eyecare Restoration and Transformation, providing case studies of where CUES has been implemented and is already helping to deliver the aims of the NHS long term plan”.

 

LOCSU has created updated maps to show the status of CUES/MECS commissioning across the 135 CCGs. This useful visual tool illustrates where the service gaps are and where activity needs to be focused in order to close them. The maps will be updated as new services are commissioned.

Click here to view the map in pdf format.

Click here to view a more detailed version of the map including CCG identifiers.