FODO member update – 17 April

This week:

• Important note for business owners
• Scottish parties back community eye care
• FODO responds to CPD reforms consultation
• Wales makes it easier for optometrists to provide medicines
• PES teams up with research centre
• Last chance to help FODO respond to driving consultation
• At a glance
• Health policy news

Important note for business owners

As eyecare providers continue to face rising costs, FODO business members should note that this is a good time to review your general insurance lines, as premium costs are reducing due to greater competition in the global insurance market.

While FODO does not provide general business insurance, Marsh offers our members competitive quotes for employers’ liability, buildings cover and other insurance lines. FODO receives no income from this arrangement. We hope that members will get a quote and shop around to find the best price and terms for their business.

If you have 10 or more practices and would like a free insurance ‘health check’, please contact [email protected] to participate in a pilot. The goal is to work with Marsh to review business insurance costs and determine how much money might be saved by going to market. FODO does not charge for this service and will make no income from it.

Scottish parties back community eye care

The main political parties in Scotland have now published their manifestos.

The SNP confirmed it will continue to back free GOS eye care for all, investing £144 million a year in community eye care. It has also reconfirmed its commitment to shifting 20,000 glaucoma patients from hospital to community optometry and to rolling out a national community low-vision service. The SNP manifesto also confirms its intention to provide more cataract surgery through national treatment centres across Scotland.

Scottish Labour said it is committed to expanding the role of community optometry, so that more people can get help more quickly. Meanwhile, the Scottish Liberal Democrats said it will protect the free eye tests it introduced. The Conservative Party and Reform do not cover eye care.

FODO responds to CPD reforms consultation

FODO has responded to the GOC’s consultation on CPD reforms. The FODO response supports a proposal to shift away from a minimum points-based CPD system towards one that focuses on outcomes, with registrants having greater freedom to design their own CPD approach.

Michael Guthrie, FODO’s head of policy and regulation, said: “We welcome the movement to a more outcomes-based approach which supports optometrists and dispensing opticians to undertake the CPD that best meets their needs. Our members are committed to investing in the learning and development of the staff they employ and helping them meet GOC requirements. However, in our response, we argue that the GOC should avoid an unnecessarily prescriptive system for businesses, which might add to regulatory burdens and costs without any clear benefits.”

Read the response.

Wales makes it easier for optometrists to provide medicines

Optometrists working in Wales can now provide their patients with a signed order for a limited list of medicines and appliances to treat common eye conditions. Pharmacies can then supply these free of charge without a GP prescription. Read more.

PES teams up with research centre

Primary Eyecare Services (PES) has announced it will be working with the new Centre for Vision Services Research. On LinkedIn, it said the collaboration would “help generate evidence that can directly inform commissioning decisions, pathway transformation, and the long-term development of NHS vision services, ensuring that research leads to improvements in care”.

PES is among the first England-based partner to contribute to work at the centre, which the Welsh government funds.

Last chance to help FODO respond to driving consultation

The Department for Transport’s consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers will end on 11 May. We are now seeking final views from members. If you would like to share your thoughts on the consultation, please email [email protected] by 24 April at 5pm.

Thank you to all members who have already taken part. We have received a diverse range of feedback to date. This feedback includes concerns about the underlying evidence and the risk of ageism; the pros and cons of using a GOS sight test, which might not fund clinical time to cover additional burdens; and the pros and cons of alternative systems. All member feedback will help inform our final position, so please share your thoughts.

At a glance

• Nominations are open for the Health Service Journal awards. Primary care providers who work with the NHS are encouraged to enter.
• The Optical Suppliers Association and Optic UK have formed a Dry Eye Disease group, which is inviting businesses involved in the condition’s treatment to join its inaugural meeting on 21 April. Read more.
• Helen Haggerty, a long-serving head of orthoptics in Newcastle, will become chair of BIOS when Craig Murray steps down at the AGM in 2027. Read more.
• The AOP is holding a parliamentary drop-in event at Portcullis House on 28 April to promote its Eye care everywhere campaign.
• The sight-loss charity Focus Birmingham is helping Aston University optometry students by offering supervised training sessions at its low vision clinics. Read more.

Health policy news

Government invests more in CDCs

The government has announced a £237 million investment in 36 new and expanded community diagnostic centres (CDCs), where patients can access diagnostic tests and scans outside hospitals.

Wes Streeting, the health and social care secretary, said: “The NHS should fit around people’s lives, not require patients to fit their lives around the NHS.” He added that CDCs meant patients could get tests, checks and scans while out shopping or on the way to pick up the children from school, without travelling across town to a hospital.

Daro Bjayou, FODO’s policy officer, said: “We welcome moves that shift care closer to home and reduce the pressure on hospital waiting lists. As providers of NHS primary eye care across the country, our members already provide assessments and scans on the high street, and we hope that the government will recognise and make use of their capacity to help cut hospital waiting lists.”

The government announcement came as NHS England released the latest waiting list figures. The referral-to-treatment performance improved slightly in February compared with the previous month, with 62.6% of patients waiting 18 weeks or less, but remained below the government’s 65% interim target. The overall waiting list for RTT pathways remained at 7.2 million, representing about 6.1 million unique patients.

Meanwhile, the Health Service Journal reported that the government had more than doubled the amount the NHS can spend on procurement before it needs to seek Cabinet Office approval from £20 million to £50 million. The change will give local organisations more power to make major spending decisions and reduce delays.

In related news, the Guardian reports on a new centre in Barnsley shopping centre which will provide more NHS care closer to home, including ophthalmology, optometry and retinal screening.