Diabetic Eye Screenings - an NHS England survey
Shared on behalf of NHS England.
Diabetic eye screening services across the southeast of England.
As the commissioner of diabetic eye screening services across the south east of England, NHS England is committed to reducing the risk of sight loss amongst people with diabetes by ensuring high quality local services are in place to support the prompt identification and effective treatment of sight threatening diabetic retinopathy.
As part of a provider selection process, they conducted desk research to understand patient and carer experience of the diabetic eye screening service and to further understand why people may not attend their eye screening appointment. This, as well as conversations with stakeholders, has helped inform them in regard to the key lines of inquiry to include as part of the formal provider selection process.
In order to support the rapid mobilisation of the new provider, they want to have local insight in place which they can share. They are therefore conducting a survey open to those who are eligible for diabetic eye screening and their carers. The survey will help NHS England understand why people may not attend diabetic eye screening appointments and help them to understand the experience of those that do.
Help NHS England improve your local diabetic eye screening service.
Currently, everyone diagnosed with diabetes aged 12 years and over is invited for eye screening each year. If diabetic retinopathy is not found, people are invited for their next appointment, either a year or two years later. Where changes in the eye are detected, the person is screened more often or referred to hospital for treatment.
Thanks to these screening appointments, diabetic eye disease is no longer the leading cause of blindness in the working age population in England. While the majority of people do regularly attend their diabetic eye screening appointments, not everyone does. NHS England want to understand the reasons why people may miss their appointment, while also hearing the experiences of those that do attend.
How you can get involved!
NHS England has a short online survey for you to complete. This should take a maximum of 10 minutes, and you do not have to give your name. Your feedback will be analysed and used to help improve your local diabetic eye screening service.
Alternatively, you can get involved by completing the easy-read version which you can find here.
The survey will be open until the 10th of January 2025. For more information about this survey, please visit the NHS website here or contact england.kss-ph-admin@nhs.net