Green Party leader calls for urgent NHS reforms to stop homeless people being denied eye care

Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer has called for urgent NHS reforms to remove “absurd barriers” preventing homeless people from accessing basic eye care.

Speaking at an event in Bristol on Thursday (17 April) hosted by the charity Vision Care for Homeless People (VCHP) and Specsavers, Denyer described current NHS rules as unfit for purpose. “People are being denied something as basic as a pair of glasses. It’s absurd – and completely fixable,” she said. “What you’re asking for is such an incredibly low bar. It’s a complete no-brainer.”

Denyer pointed to a simple set of reforms that could remove the most obvious obstacles. She backed VCHP’s call for NHS regulations to be updated so that people experiencing homelessness are eligible for free eye tests and glasses, including replacements if their glasses are lost, stolen or broken. She also urged changes that would allow eye care to be delivered on-site at hostels and day centres without needing three weeks’ notice and named patients – a requirement she described as needlessly restrictive.

“These are people who don’t have access to some of life’s most basic necessities – not just shelter, but health care,” she said. “If someone is finally able to speak to a GP, get an eye test, or ask for glasses, they shouldn’t be turned away. These are modest asks. We know how to fix it. We just need the political will.”

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The event brought together healthcare professionals, policymakers and people with lived experience of homelessness, as part of an ongoing partnership between Specsavers and VCHP aimed at expanding access to eye care through outreach and community clinics. Specsavers has also worked in partnership with the Big Issue since 2022 to provide eye and ear care to vendors.

Hannah Telfer, CEO of VCHP, opened the event by asking attendees to imagine misplacing their glasses and having no way to replace them. “Now imagine you’re experiencing homelessness. What does that mean? What does that look like?” she said. “We believe everyone has the right to sight, regardless of their housing situation.”

The need is well evidenced. In 2023, VCHP say they provided care to 216 people who would have been ineligible for NHS-funded treatment. Nine in ten of the patients seen needed glasses, and 14.2% had a diagnosable eye health condition – ten times the rate in the general population. More than half had lost or broken their glasses, and 13% had never had an eye test at all.

A recent outreach pilot in Yorkshire, delivered in partnership with Specsavers, provided 271 eye tests and 231 pairs of glasses across 16 temporary accommodation sites. Organisers said 88% of those seen would not otherwise have accessed care. “We reached more people through this project than at our two busiest clinics combined,” said one of the programme leads.

Expert Focus, a peer-led advocacy group, helped shape the service. Director Stan Burridge described the consultation process as frank but constructive. “This wasn’t a feather-touch exercise,” he said. “People with lived experience held them accountable – and they listened.”

In a video message, Dame Mary Perkins, Specsavers co-founder and VCHP patron, underlined the case for action. “Clear vision isn’t a luxury. It’s essential for personal safety, for finding work, for accessing services. Everyone deserves that access,” she said.

Denyer urged fellow MPs to get behind the campaign. “This is about fairness, about dignity, and about doing the obvious thing,” she said. “It’s time to stop talking and start fixing what we know is broken.”

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