27 April 2021

Member update - 27 April

This week:

• Important: NHS England's plan for eye care services
• GOS4 Covid easement ends 1 May 2021
• Education update
• College and ABDO issue joint statement on IPC measures
• ABDO to launch social, ethical and environmental summit
• Bank holiday and next FODO member update

Important: NHS England's plan for eye care services

In our 26 March update, we updated members about NHS England's planning guidance goal to transform eye care services. NHS England has now provided more detail in an official annexe to its planning guidance, including ambitious milestones and expected timelines for change.  

We strongly encourage all members in England to read and share the full update on this development and the official annexe. 

We also invite all members to ask FODO's policy team questions and are happy to arrange online meetings to discuss developments over the coming months. If you want to learn more or have questions, just email us at [email protected]. 

GOS4 Covid easement ends 1 May 2021

In the light of recovering GOS1 numbers, NHS England plans to discontinue the Covid easement whereby providers can dispense spectacles without a sight test using a GOS4 form. The temporary arrangements, set out in OFNC FAQ 23, will end on 1 May. Therefore, contractors and optometrists should fully revert to using GOS1s and GOS3s as pre-Covid from 2 May 2021. 

Education update

The College of Optometrists has published FAQs and a short video to help optometrists and dispensing opticians understand education reforms announced by the GOC earlier this year.
 
The Optician has also published its Education Guide 2021. The guide maps the journey to qualify as an optometrist. It also shares the experience of students and optometrists at various stages in their career and highlights different career paths that optometrists can take. Read the guide.  

College and ABDO issue joint statement on IPC measures

The College of Optometrists and ABDO issued a joint statement on the importance of maintaining Covid-19 infection prevention and control (IPC) measures throughout the next phase of the pandemic. Read the joint statement. 

ABDO to launch social, ethical and environmental summit

ABDO, supported by the Optical Suppliers Association (OSA), has announced it will launch a social, ethical and environmental (SEE) summit on climate change on 4 October 2021.
 
ABDO said it hoped everybody would work together to "promote environmental sustainability in the UK optical sector and contribute to the government's goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050". It added that it is "looking to develop a network involving professional bodies, manufacturers, practice owners and practitioners, all of whom can work together to highlight good practice and raise awareness of the importance of this issue." Learn more. 

Bank holiday and next FODO member update

We will be operating our regular out of hours member support service over the bank holiday, so please get in touch in the usual way, and a team member will be on hand to support you.
 
We will be making some updates to our systems this week, so we're planning our following newsletter for 7 May. However, we will email you an update on any urgent matters that arise before then.