FODO member update – 23 October
This week:
- GOC commercial practices review shows high patient satisfaction
- FODO responds to consultation on testing of sight
- Minimum wait times for cataract surgery ‘a false economy’
- Smart eyewear used to monitor ocular health
- Preparing for cybersecurity threats
- Webinar on AI in workplace disputes
- At a glance
- Health policy news
GOC commercial practices review shows high patient satisfaction
FODO welcomes the General Optical Council’s (GOC) report, Commercial Practices and Patient Safety, based on its thematic review.
The review’s key findings:
- Patients report high levels of satisfaction with their optical care, including with the time available for sight tests.
- No evidence exists of patient harm arising from the optical businesses’ commercial practices.
- Patients benefit from easy access to care – it is generally easy to book sight tests in advance without long waiting times.
- Providers that deliver the majority of care, whose websites the GOC reviewed, provided transparent information about prices and eligibility for NHS financial support.
The GOC drew on evidence from several sources, including its workforce and perceptions survey, which had responses from 3,541 registrants. While patient satisfaction and public confidence are consistently high, a proportion of registrants that responded to the survey have raised concerns about pressures, including the time available for sight tests and performance targets.
FODO will continue to work with members so that, as a sector, patient care and safety always comes first. We continue to learn from this research, including how to ensure every registrant delivering quality care feels supported and speaks up when things go wrong.
The final report also cites evidence from FODO’s submission, which drew on responses from our members. Thank you to all members who provided feedback as this helped ensure all stakeholders perspectives and a wider range of evidence were factored into the GOC process.
Read our full response and Clarity article on the report.
FODO responds to consultation on testing of sight
FODO has submitted its response to the GOC’s consultation on an updated statement on the testing of sight and related changes to the supervision and delegation requirements in its Standards of Practice for Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians and Standards for Optical Students.
In our response, we say that the GOC has rightly situated the important protections of the Opticians Act within their social, legal and technological context. The updated statement reflects the contemporary reality of how optical care is delivered, enabling safe innovations in technology and service delivery models while safeguarding patients from harm.
On the proposals for delegating activities to assistants, we have argued for wording in standards that ensures patient safety while giving eye care providers the flexibility to innovate safely to meet patient needs.
Dispensing to children and people who are registered sight impaired is a higher-risk activity. Following engagement with ABDO colleagues and consideration of ABDO’s white paper on paediatric dispensing, we have argued that it cannot be delivered safely without a dispensing optician present and able to intervene when necessary.
Read the full consultation response.
Minimum wait times for cataract surgery ‘a false economy’
New research commissioned by SpaMedica suggests that the consequences of delayed cataract treatment extend beyond the individual patient, reducing independence and putting pressure on families and other NHS services.
The report says that long waits are a false economy for the NHS. Three-quarters of patients surveyed said they needed more help between their referral and their appointment, with 19% attending A&E following a fall and 33% requiring a visit to the GP.
About half of ICBs in England have introduced mandatory minimum waiting times of up to 16 weeks for procedures including cataract surgery, to manage long waits and spending for elective activity.
The research includes contributions from organisations working with older people and people affected by sight loss, including Age UK, RNIB, Fight for Sight and Thomas Pocklington Trust.
Smart eyewear used to monitor ocular health
A team at Aston University will work with Globe Medical’s Blink Frames, a smart eyewear platform that monitors eye activity, to research how everyday environmental conditions affect eye health. The study forms part of broader work investigating how real-world visual environments and behaviours influence ocular health and myopia.
Read more in Clarity.
Preparing for cybersecurity threats
Members may be aware of cybersecurity flaws reported in the PHP programming language that meant many organisations had to take web pages offline temporarily. A fix was issued on Wednesday afternoon.
Based on advice National Cyber Security Centre advice, we recommend that members act immediately to identify any systems running PHP and update to the latest version.
Given the increased risk from AI generated research into system vulnerabilities, FODO will be working with our Primary Eye Care Digital Connectivity Committee to assess how we can best support members to horizon scan and respond to potential security issues in the future, with a focus on smaller business owner members who will not always have access to the same level of IT support. If you would like to get involved in this work, please email [email protected].
Webinar on AI in workplace disputes
Members are invited to a free webinar discussing how to handle grievances, employment claims and workplace disputes where AI content is used.
AI-powered claims and grievances: what HR needs to know – 29 October at 12pm
Register here.
At a glance:
- Specsavers founders’ Doug and Mary Perkins receive a lifetime contribution award at the Retail Gazette Awards for ‘transforming optical and audiology care’, the BBC reports.
- EssilorLuxottica Stellest lenses, designed to slow myopia in children, win Times best inventions award. Read more.
- Newmedica highlights grandparents’ increasingly important role in childcare, and why their eyesight matters. Read more.
- Centre for Sight marks Menopause Awareness Month, with information on how hormone levels can contribute to dry eyes, blurred vision and eye discomfort. Read more.
- Optician reports on removal of self-certification function from the orthokeratologist.org platform after pressure from industry professionals.
- RNIB and Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust launch support centre for people with sight loss in new eye hospital, the charity reports.
- Scottish members are advised that September-paid-October 2026 eSchedule reports are now available. Find out more.
- The BBC reports on a man in Wales who died of complications from metastatic choroidal melanoma after he wasn’t sent a follow-up appointment.
Health policy news:
Health Bill
We continue to monitor the passage of the Health Bill, which is due to be considered at Committee stage in the House of Lords, with the goal of ensuring the Primary Ophthalmic Service (POS) framework is protected for the benefit of patients.
In a recent response to a parliamentary question about protecting patient choice in NHS eye care, James Frith, parliamentary under-secretary of state for health and social care, has recognised the importance of optometry and the role it plays in the NHS. He said: “Optometry is not an add on to the NHS; it is an important part of the health ecosystem.”
IHPN calls for better use of available eye care capacity
The Independent Health Providers Network (IHPN) says that restrictive referral pathways and poorly designed Single Points of Access (SPoA) systems could limit patient choice and contribute to unnecessary delays in accessing eye care.
It acknowledges that SPoAs can ensure patients are directed to the most appropriate services and reduce unnecessary appointments. However, it warns that poorly designed systems could restrict patient choice and leave available treatment capacity unused. The IHPN calls for them to be designed around patients’ clinical needs, with clear safeguards to ensure people retain their right to choose from the full range of qualified NHS-funded providers.
Change in attitude towards the NHS
Public support for the NHS’s founding principles of being free to use, available to everyone and funded through taxation fell between 2021 and 2025, according to experts, says The Guardian.
Most people (85-92%) still back these principles, but there is a generational gap over fax funding. Support among Gen Z fell by 11.2 percentage points to 74.1%, compared with at least 80% among older age groups.
The King’s Fund thinktank reports that younger groups have consistently been less satisfied with the NHS and investigates why.