Primary Eyecare Services
Primary Eyecare Services is a not-for-profit NHS lead provider delivering 12 community eye care pathways through 2,400 accredited optometry practices across England, serving NHS Integrated Care Boards and approximately 798,000 to 1 million patients annually.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Primary Eyecare Services does
Primary Eyecare Services is a not-for-profit lead provider (company limited by guarantee, registered no. 6722353) that contracts directly with NHS commissioners and Integrated Care Boards to deliver NHS-funded primary and community eye care services across England. The organisation operates as a national optometry lead provider, coordinating a subcontractor network of approximately 2,400 local optometry practices spanning 800 neighbourhoods and 30 ICBs, with 42 NHS commissioners listed as partners. Its service portfolio comprises 12 specialist pathways, including Cataract Services, Glaucoma Services, Community Urgent Eyecare Service (CUES), Minor Eye Conditions Service (MECS), Children's Services, Learning Disabilities Easy Eye Care, Low Vision Service, Hypertension Case Finding, Retinal Diagnostics and Monitoring, Community Medical Contact Lens Service, and the Eye Care Navigation Service.
The digital backbone of the operation is the OPERA IT platform, provided and maintained by long-term IT partner Referral Management Services (RMS), which manages referrals, service eligibility, and pathway coordination. The Eye Care Navigation Service functions as a clinically led single point of access that triages incoming referrals from GPs, opticians, pharmacists, and NHS 111 within 24-48 hours and directs patients to the most appropriate community or hospital service with patient choice functionality. Patient-facing tools include a Service Eligibility Tool, Find a Practice, and Find a Hospital directory, and accreditation of subcontractor practices is gated by Quality in Optometry (QiO) compliance and the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT).
The revenue model is contracted managed services: Primary Eyecare Services holds NHS commissioning contracts and flows service delivery through its accredited practice network, operating with a stated target surplus of approximately 1% which is reinvested into service delivery and organisational resilience rather than distributed to shareholders. The sole member is LOC Central Support Unit, the support body for Local Optical Committees. Customer segments span NHS ICBs (commissioners), individual patients (end users), and clinical partners (subcontractor practices and hospital trusts such as Alder Hey). Notable partnerships include SeeAbility (Charity of the Year), LOCSU, NHS Confederation Primary Care Network, and direct collaborations with NHS trusts for paediatric pathways. In 2025/26 the organisation reported over 1 million patient assessments delivered, with 97% of patients recommending the service.
Primary Eyecare Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Primary Eyecare Services
- Legal name
- Primary Eyecare Services Limited
- Website
- https://primaryeyecare.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Primary Eyecare Services is a not-for-profit NHS lead provider delivering 12 community eye care pathways through 2,400 accredited optometry practices across England, serving NHS Integrated Care Boards and approximately 798,000 to 1 million patients annually.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Primary Eyecare Services industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Eye Care Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Optometrists (62132), Offices of Optometrists (621320)
- SIC
- Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Optometry Clinics (Primary Eye Care) (HLAKAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Comprehensive Eye Exams & Vision Care (HLAKAKAA), Ophthalmology Clinics (Medical & Surgical Eye Care) (HLAKAKAC), Ocular Imaging & Diagnostic Testing Centers (HLAKAKAN)
Keywords
Where Primary Eyecare Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Primary Eyecare Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- NHS Commissioning Revenue: Primary Eyecare Services generates revenue through contracts with NHS commissioners and NHS trusts to deliver NHS-funded enhanced eye care services. The company operates as a not-for-profit organisation, with any surpluses reinvested into NHS eye care service delivery and organisational resilience.
- Community Medical Contact Lens Service: NHS contact lenses provided at a set national charge/contribution for patients with specific clinical needs such as keratoconus, corneal irregularities, or high prescriptions where glasses are not effective. Some patients may be eligible for help with these costs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | NHS-funded specialist contact lenses with national charge |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Primary Eyecare Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Primary Eyecare Services contracts with NHS commissioners and Integrated Care Boards to deliver NHS-funded enhanced eye care services across England, coordinating a network of approximately 2,400 local optometry practices that operate as subcontractor delivery points. The portfolio covers twelve specialist community eye care pathways (cataract, glaucoma, urgent eye care, minor eye conditions, children's services, learning disabilities support, low vision, hypertension case finding, retinal diagnostics, contact lens, and an Eye Care Navigation Service) plus digital patient tools (Practice Finder, Service Eligibility, Find a Hospital). The company is structured as a not-for-profit, with surpluses reinvested into NHS eye care service delivery.
Product overview
Primary Eyecare Services operates as a not-for-profit national optometry organization delivering NHS-funded enhanced eye care services across England. The organization functions as a lead provider coordinating a network of over 2,400 local optometry practices across 800 neighborhoods and 30 ICBs. The service portfolio comprises 12 distinct healthcare services (Cataract Services, Children's Services, Community Medical Contact Lens Service, Community Urgent Eyecare Service/CUES, Glaucoma Services, Hypertension Case Finding, Learning Disabilities Easy Eye Care, Low Vision Service, Minor Eye Conditions Service/MECS, Eye Care Navigation Service, and Retinal Diagnostics and Monitoring) complemented by patient-facing digital tools including Service Eligibility Tool, Find a Practice, and Find a Hospital. The Eye Care Navigation Service serves as the digital referral management platform while services are delivered through accredited optometrists in local neighborhood practices.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cataract Services Pre-operative and post-operative cataract care delivered in community optometry settings, including an Enhanced Cataract Referral Service to support informed surgical decisions and post-operative monitoring, reducing hospital visits.
- Children's Services Post Vision Screening Service for children who failed school vision screening and an Integrated Children's Service providing collaborative care between local opticians and hospital eye services.
- Community Medical Contact Lens Service Specialist NHS contact lens service providing lenses at a set national charge for patients whose glasses are not effective, including keratoconus, corneal irregularities, and therapeutic lenses. Some patients are eligible for help with costs.
- Community Urgent Eyecare Service (CUES) Urgent assessment, treatment, or onward referral for sudden onset eye problems such as flashes, floaters, vision loss, foreign bodies, and minor injuries, delivered through accredited optometry practices.
- Glaucoma Services Comprehensive community glaucoma pathway including the Glaucoma Repeat Readings Service, Glaucoma Enhanced Case Finding Service, and Ocular Hypertension Glaucoma Monitoring, reducing unnecessary hospital visits and improving referral quality.
- Hypertension Case Finding Blood pressure checks delivered at optometry practices during routine appointments to support early detection of cardiovascular disease risk, expanding cardiovascular screening into community eye care settings.
- Learning Disabilities Easy Eye Care Specialist eye care for adults and children with moderate to severe learning disabilities or autism, providing pre-visit familiarisation, longer appointments, adapted techniques, easy-read forms and reports.
- Low Vision Service Support for patients managing sight loss, providing low vision equipment, magnification devices, functional assessments, and referrals to additional support services.
- Minor Eye Conditions Service (MECS) Assessment and treatment for recently occurring minor eye problems such as red eye, dry eyes, flashes, floaters, and ingrowing lashes, provided through accredited optometry practices rather than GP or hospital services.
- Eye Care Navigation Service Single point of access for ophthalmology referrals providing clinical triage, patient choice, and digital referral management across community and hospital services, operating six days a week with referrals triaged within 24–48 hours.
- Retinal Diagnostics and Monitoring Medical retina services including maculopathy referral filtering, hydroxychloroquine monitoring, and OCT scanning for conditions such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, delivered in community optometry settings.
- Bright Sight School-Based Eye Care Service School-based eye care service commissioned by NHS Mid and South Essex ICB, delivering enhanced sight tests for children with learning disabilities and autism within special schools.
- Community Medical Contact Lens Service NHS-funded specialist contact lens service for keratoconus, corneal irregularities, and therapeutic lenses, charged at a set national contribution with cost exemptions for eligible patients.
Quantifiable outcome
- Patient episodes increased by 147% in Greater Manchester and 25% in Cheshire and Merseyside year-on-year for Learning Disabilities Easy Eye Care Service
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Primary Eyecare Services
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Primary Eyecare Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Primary Eyecare Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Referral Management Services (RMS)coreReferral Management Services (RMS) was appointed as Primary Eyecare Services' long-term IT partner in August 2020. RMS has experience with optometry referrals, dental referral management and extended services in dentistry. RMS provides and maintains the OPERA IT platform for use by Primary Eyecare Services and its subcontractor practices. RMS is an independent organisation with only commercial partnership arrangements for provision of IT services.
- SeeAbilitycoreSeeAbility is Primary Eyecare Services' Charity of the Year. The charity specialises in supporting people with learning disabilities or autism who may also have sight loss. Registered as The Royal School for the Blind, SeeAbility has pioneered specialist support for 225 years. Primary Eyecare Services collaborates with SeeAbility to support effective delivery of the Easy Eye Care Service where commissioned, particularly supporting the LOCSU Pathway for eye care for people with learning disabilities.
- Local Optical Committees (LOCs)corePrimary Eyecare Services is a national optometry organisation set up by LOCs to provide community and primary eye care services through networks of optometry practices. LOCs are the NHS official representatives for NHS GOS contractors and practitioners within their areas. The company has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with many LOCs across England setting out partnership working arrangements.
- LOCSU (Local Optical Committee Support Unit)coreLOCSU supports Local Optical Committees in England across policy work, pathway development, commissioning support, governance and compliance, communication and training. Primary Eyecare Services works with LOCSU to enhance the role of LOCs and primary eye care among health decision makers.
- NHScorePrimary Eyecare Services works closely with NHS commissioners to deliver NHS-funded enhanced eye care services. The company contracts with NHS commissioners and trusts to make services available locally. In delivering services in primary care, they contribute to alleviating pressure on the secondary care system and making eye care more accessible for patients across England. 42 NHS ICBs are listed as commissioner partners.
- NHS Confederation Primary Care NetworkminorPrimary Eyecare Services is a member of the NHS Confederation Primary Care Network of primary care providers at scale. CEO Dharmesh Patel is a member of the advisory group providing strategic oversight of the network, helping to shape priorities and future direction for primary care providers at scale members.
- Special Schools (Mid and South Essex)coreAs part of the Bright Sight programme, Primary Eyecare Services partners with special schools across Mid and South Essex to deliver school-based eye care services. Schools provide the setting for enhanced sight tests delivered by specially trained eye care providers.
- Alder Hey HospitalcorePrimary Eyecare Services is working in partnership with Alder Hey Hospital to deliver a new Post Vision Screening (PVS) Service for children in Sefton and Liverpool. Children flagged during school vision screenings can receive full enhanced sight tests at local optometry practices instead of travelling to hospital.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Primary Eyecare Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CHEC (Community Health and Eyecare): One of the largest independent providers of NHS community ophthalmology services in England, delivering cataract, glaucoma, and general ophthalmology services via community clinics. Directly comparable as a contracted NHS community eye care lead provider competing for the same ICB contracts.
- Newmedica: Operates NHS community ophthalmology services across England with a focus on cataract and medical retina pathways. Competes directly for ICB contracts and uses a subcontractor/partner model similar to PES.
- SpaMedica: Largest NHS cataract surgery provider in the UK with rapidly expanding community-based ophthalmology services. Directly comparable as a high-volume NHS-funded eye care provider competing for community ophthalmology pathways.
- HealthHarmonie: NHS-commissioned community healthcare provider delivering ophthalmology, ENT, dermatology, and other specialist services in community settings. Direct competitor for ICB community service contracts.
Broad incumbents
- Practice Plus Group: Large independent sector NHS provider operating across ophthalmology, diagnostics, and elective surgery. Overlaps with PES in NHS community eye care delivery but operates as a broader multi-specialty provider.
- Optegra Eye Health Care: UK-wide network of specialist eye hospitals and clinics offering NHS and private ophthalmology. Comparable as a community and hospital eye care provider but with significant private-pay exposure.
- Specsavers: Largest UK optical retail chain with 2,000+ practices and significant NHS GOS contract delivery. Key subcontractor to PES but also a potential competitor if it scaled independent NHS enhanced service commissioning.
- Totally plc: UK provider of NHS community health services including urgent care and planned care. Comparable as an NHS-commissioned community services provider but with broader scope beyond ophthalmology.
Others
- LOCSU (Local Optical Committee Support Unit): Supports Local Optical Committees in pathway development and commissioning. Not a direct competitor but a related enabler; PES's parent entity (LOC Central Support Unit) is closely connected to LOCSU.
- SeeAbility: Charity specializing in sight loss and learning disabilities and PES's Charity of the Year partner. Not a competitor but a strategic ally in delivering the Learning Disabilities Easy Eye Care pathway.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Primary Eyecare Services social profiles
Digital presencePrimary Eyecare Services compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Primary Eyecare Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Primary Eyecare Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Primary Eyecare Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Primary Eyecare Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Primary Eyecare Services
What does Primary Eyecare Services do?
Primary Eyecare Services contracts with NHS commissioners and Integrated Care Boards to deliver NHS-funded enhanced eye care services across England, coordinating a network of approximately 2,400 local optometry practices that operate as subcontractor delivery points. The portfolio covers twelve specialist community eye care pathways (cataract, glaucoma, urgent eye care, minor eye conditions, children's services, learning disabilities support, low vision, hypertension case finding, retinal diagnostics, contact lens, and an Eye Care Navigation Service) plus digital patient tools (Practice Finder, Service Eligibility, Find a Hospital). The company is structured as a not-for-profit, with surpluses reinvested into NHS eye care service delivery.
Is Primary Eyecare Services a public or private company?
Primary Eyecare Services is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Primary Eyecare Services founded?
Primary Eyecare Services was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Primary Eyecare Services based?
Primary Eyecare Services is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Primary Eyecare Services make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. NHS Commissioning Revenue is the primary driver. The others are community Medical Contact Lens Service.
Who are Primary Eyecare Services's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CHEC (Community Health and Eyecare), Newmedica, SpaMedica and HealthHarmonie. Broad incumbents are Practice Plus Group, Optegra Eye Health Care, Specsavers and Totally plc. Others are LOCSU (Local Optical Committee Support Unit) and SeeAbility.
Does Primary Eyecare Services have an API?
No public API is recorded for Primary Eyecare Services.
What industry is Primary Eyecare Services in?
Primary Eyecare Services's product category is Community Eye Care Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAKAKAB, Optometry Clinics (Primary Eye Care), with a secondary code of HLAKAKAA, Comprehensive Eye Exams & Vision Care. Its NAICS code is 62132 and its SIC code is 8011.