Good data is the foundation of good health policy. While the NHS depends on reliable data to plan, evaluate, and optimise services, the UK lacks up-to-date, population-level data on vision and hearing health, meaning we are currently unable to measure the true scale of unmet need or evaluate the effectiveness of existing services. This is not just a data gap - it is a public health infrastructure gap, and it affects how we prevent avoidable sensory loss, support healthy ageing, and allocate NHS and social care resources efficiently and equitably. The UK National Eye and Hearing Health Study (UKNEHS; www.uknehs.org.uk) is a national initiative to fill this critical knowledge gap. Led by a cross-sector partnership of researchers, clinicians, professional bodies, and charities, the study has already completed a successful pilot phase demonstrating:

• High participant engagement (65%+ response rate)
• Feasibility of high-quality mobile diagnostics and digital tools in community settings
• Clear unmet needs in both vision and hearing, including undiagnosed disease and low service utilisation even in at-risk groups

This session will summarise the pilot findings and explore how this infrastructure can deliver against multiple government strategies: Prevention and early intervention; Levelling up and tackling health inequalities; Multiple long-term conditions (MLTC); Healthy ageing and independent living; Reducing avoidable burden on health and social care. It will also invite interest from optometrists, ophthalmologists and trainees in participating in this important and unique national initiative