FODO member update - 25 February

This week:

Covid-19 updates
New PPE Portal platform
Get involved - Provider Selection Regime consultation
Health and Care Bill update
Case study on cataract care
Other sector news

Covid-19 updates

England and Scotland

This week, we issued this Covid-19 update to all members in England and Scotland. It provides an update on NHS and government guidance, including how to access grants in Scotland for ventilation enhancement.

Members should also not the following Covid specific updates:

Scotland

The Scottish Government has published this letter advising:

Healthcare workers to continue following IPC measures
Patient-facing primary care staff to reduce the frequency of their LFD testing from daily to twice weekly.

Northern Ireland

A reminder that all legally binding Covid-19 restrictions are now guidance only in Northern Ireland. The health minister has also confirmed the "importance of wearing face coverings in health and social care settings". Members should continue to follow IPC guidance for healthcare settings.

Wales

The Welsh Government has put its Covid-10 alert level at 0. Its guidance states

From 28 February face coverings will only be legally required in retail, public transport and health and care settings.

There is also detailed guidance about the law regarding level 0, which covers retail premises and close contact services. However, primary eye care providers should continue to follow IPC measures for healthcare settings and the College of Optometrists' guidance.

ROI

This week The Association of Eye Care Providers of Ireland also issued this Covid-19 update, which explains what is changing in Ireland and when.

New PPE Portal platform

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS Supply Chain have implemented a new PPE platform. It enables primary eye care to continue accessing free PPE and related items for eligible users until the end of March 2023. Eligible users will receive an invitation over the coming weeks and months to ensure migration across to the new platform. Primary eye care providers should be migrated to the new platform later in March. If you have questions about the migration to the new portal, please call the customer services team on 0800 876 6802. The team is available from 7am to 7pm, seven days a week.

Get involved - Provider Selection Regime consultation

DHSC has opened a consultation on the proposed Provider Selection Regime (PSR) in England. PSR will replace existing procurement rules for arranging locally commissioned healthcare services in England.

The powers to establish these new rules are set out in the Health and Care Bill, which we have kept members briefed about since it was introduced in Parliament (see below for the latest update).

Once the bill is passed and becomes law, regulations and statutory guidance will specify details about the PSR. This will be important as it will underpin how locally enhanced eye care services are commissioned.

FODO has already responded to pre-legislative change consultations and the legislation itself on behalf of members. We will continue to work with sector partners and DHSC and NHS colleagues on the PSR.

The consultation closes on 28 March. If you would like to participate in FODO's response, please email [email protected].

Health and Care Bill update

In anticipation of the Health and Care Bill reaching its final Parliamentary stages, the DHSC has published summary fact sheets about key elements in the bill. These include:

Integrated Care Boards and local health and care systems in England (here)
Provider selection and patient choice in England (here)
Professional regulation UK (here).

Members should note that the factsheet on ICBs refers to transferring commissioning responsibilities for primary care services to ICBs. However, DHSC and NHSE had already confirmed that this is about where the contracts are held (for example, before NHS England, PCTs used to keep them). They also said that General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) in England would remain a national demand-led service under nationally agreed GOS contracts (fixed practice and domiciliary) and nationally negotiated fees and grants, with no local variation. Read more.

Case study on cataract care

LOCSU has published a case study on the optometrist's role in cataract care.

The study looks at the Manchester cataract service, which launched in 2016. It has proven its ability to support timely access to care and help people make informed choices about their care and where they access it.

The case study also highlights a conversion rate to surgery of more than 90%. This exceeds expectations in the GIRFT ophthalmology report, which aims to improve conversion rates for patients referred for cataract surgery to 80-85%.

Other sector news

The GOC has appointed Steve Brooker to lead its Education, Policy, Standards and Communications and Engagement functions as director of regulatory strategy.

UCL will lead a four-year clinical trial to test the effectiveness of vitamin B (nicotinamide) as a treatment for glaucoma. Read more.

OSA has published a sustainability glossary, which the association said was "a new resource for the whole optical sector".

Healthwatch research shows people with hearing loss and sight loss are not getting the support they need from NHS Trusts.

Optician reports on a 'viable home OCT' device.

The BBC covers the adverse impacts of bionic eyes that are no longer supported due to obsolete tech.

Twenty-eight new ophthalmology patient videos are available on HCI's National Health and Care Video Library, helping to support an estimated two million people living with sight conditions. NHSE notes the HCI videos were developed in partnership with The Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Moorfields Eye Hospital, Torbay and South Devon NHS Ophthalmology Department, the National Outpatient Transformation and Eye Care Recovery and Transformation Programmes, and numerous UK charities.

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