New Norwich centre to expand access to diabetic eye screening

A new InHealth-run NHS screening centre is due to open in Castle Quarter in October, giving people with diabetes another way to access checks designed to prevent avoidable sight loss.

A new diabetic eye screening centre is due to open in Norwich’s Castle Quarter in early October, giving people with diabetes in Norfolk and Waveney another place to access checks designed to spot eye disease before it causes avoidable sight loss. The service will be run by InHealth in partnership with the NHS and will use clinical expertise and newer diagnostic technology to support earlier detection of diabetic eye problems.

The opening adds to the wider screening network already in place across the region. According to the NHS, the Norfolk and Waveney diabetic eye screening programme offers appointments at sites including GP surgeries, hospitals and optician practices, with people aged 12 and over with diabetes typically invited every one or two years. The programme’s aim is to identify damage early, when treatment and monitoring can still make a difference.

InHealth says the Castle Quarter site is part of its broader NHS screening provision across the UK. The company’s patient guidance stresses the importance of attending regular eye checks and says it provides information in multiple languages, alongside practical advice on appointments and transport. It also recommends that patients bring their invitation letter and usual spectacles, and notes that eye drops used during screening can make driving afterwards unsafe.

At Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, the mobile eye screening service already supports the region with a fleet of units that can travel to GP surgeries when needed. The new centre in central Norwich is intended to add another accessible option for patients, while Castle Quarter says the arrival of an NHS service in the shopping destination reflects its role as a place serving the wider community.