Five organisations have today been announced as the new providers of diabetic eye screening across London from 1 November 2015.

Eye screening is a key part of diabetes care to check for diabetic retinopathy, a condition that can lead to sight loss if it’s not detected early and treated. Everyone aged 12 and over with diabetes receives an invitation to this service once a year. The new services introduce a standardised screening model which will significantly improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the programme.

The new providers are Health Intelligence Ltd for North West London, Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for North East London, and Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust for South East London. For South West London, Medical Imaging Ltd will be the new provider with North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust continuing as the provider for North Central London.

Jo Murfitt, Director of Public Health Commissioning for NHS England (London), said: “After a rigorous procurement process, we are delighted to announce the five new diabetic eye screening providers today. Regular eye screening is very important for people with diabetes and we want to ensure that the quality of this service is consistently high across the capital, and all patients who need it are accessing this important service.

The new service will build on the commitment, hard work and professionalism current providers have demonstrated over the years in delivering the diabetic eye screening service in London.”

The organisations will now work closely with the existing providers, if relevant, to ensure a smooth handover before they begin delivering services on 1 November 2015.