Winner
The Eyes Have It
Summary of work
Tackling the growing demand for eye health services is one of the biggest challenges facing the NHS today, yet it receives little mention in the NHS Long Term Plan. Against this back-drop, in 2021, Roche UK launched a new eye health partnership with the Macular Society and Fight for Sight called ‘The Eyes Have It’. Roche has funded the activities of the partnership. They launched their campaign with the first ‘Westminster Eye Health Day’ advocating for everyone to be able to access the right eye care, where and when they need it. The partnership has gone from strength to strength and counts RNIB, the Association of Optometrists and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists as partners. There have been three Westminster Eye Health Days and the partnership continues to drive awareness of the capacity challenges facing parts of the eye care system, and the barriers to accessing care which people with sight loss may face. The campaign has activated support from MPs and policymakers, helped shape government policy, and contributed to the appointment of the first National Clinical Director for Eye Care and a single health minister given oversight of eye care. The campaign has achieved a communications reach of millions.
Judges’ comments
‘The Eyes Have It’ put forward a compelling argument for change and a solid rationale for the programme. Outcomes are impressive and drive forward on stated objectives. It had a very clear overview of the situation, including useful statistics and implications for care, and identification of the challenge to be addressed. Impressive, with a strong focus on alignment across stakeholders on a broader vision – a key to success. The jointly agreed measurable objectives across partnerships, awareness and making eye care a political priority was remarkable.
