Eye and hearing health championed at party conferences
9 September 2025
The health service is in public focus, with Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting backing a neighbourhood health service. As Scotland and Wales prepare for parliamentary elections next year, health will be a dominant issue.
Giles Edmonds, clinical services director at Specsavers, says that the need for engagement with policymakers is vital to deliver for patients and support the NHS. It's why Specsavers is attending the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative conferences this year- and joining forces with charity Glaucoma UK.
'We’ll be talking to MPs and delegates at the conferences about the life-changing work being done for example around community glaucoma services,' he says.
'Plus, setting out how fully using the skills of our clinicians will deliver even more benefits for patients and the health service. We believe that community optics and audiology is critical to delivering an accessible neighbourhood health service.'
'Plus, setting out how fully using the skills of our clinicians will deliver even more benefits for patients and the health service. We believe that community optics and audiology is critical to delivering an accessible neighbourhood health service.'
Specsavers has teamed up with Glaucoma UK to host a stand at the Conservative and Labour conferences
Joanne Creighton, Glaucoma UK.
The stand will not only raise awareness about glaucoma but also provide eye and hearing health checks, staffed by a dedicated team of clinicians. An interactive map will be featured to illustrate the current provision of NHS-commissioned services and draw attention to the postcode lottery in England.
Joanne Creighton, CEO of Glaucoma UK, says: ‘We are looking forward to raising awareness of glaucoma at the party conferences with those directly involved with shaping the future of the health system in the UK.
'As the UK’s only charity solely dedicated to glaucoma, we will be sharing details of our work to champion the needs of patients, provide trusted information and offer expert advice and reassurance via our helpline service. We are here to help everyone live well with glaucoma.’
Fringe events
Specsavers will also be sponsoring fringe events at the Labour conference, bringing together leading political and healthcare figures. The discussion will focus on the transformative role that community optics and audiology can play in the evolving healthcare landscape.