FODO member update – 11 September
This week:
- Optometry ‘must be integral to primary care plans’
- Sector pays tribute to Kevin Thompson
- Optometry Wales supports wellbeing book
- Recommendations for low vision service
- Scotland foundation training year
- Webinar on regulatory and claims risk
- At a glance
- Health policy news
Optometry ‘must be integral to primary care plans’
MPs have launched a report on NHS primary care that recognises optometry as a core service that must be integral to any plans to tackle access and unmet need.
FODO gave evidence to the All-Party Parliamentary Group’s inquiry that led to the publication of First Point of Care: A Plan for a Better NHS Front Door through Connected Primary Care, which was launched at an event in Westminster this week.
Michael Guthrie, FODO’s director of regulation and policy, said: “Innovations in optometry mean that our members not only provide essential sight tests but are also increasingly involved in detecting eye disease and signs of wider poor health. Working at the heart of every community, they play a vital role in shifting care closer to home. We are pleased to see our contributions included in the final report, which offers some thoughtful reflections on how we can improve access to primary care.”
Read more in Clarity.
Sector pays tribute to Kevin Thompson
FODO is saddened to hear about the death of Kevin Thompson, a kind and dedicated colleague who founded the northeast’s Thompson Opticians chain.
David Hewlett, FODO’s director of policy and strategy, said: “Kevin was an instinctive entrepreneur but also a natural bridge builder. Warm and widely respected, he transcended boundaries and, in his national leadership roles, including as a member of the OFNC, he always brought his boundless common sense to issues while fiercely standing up for the profession.
“Our deepest condolences go to his family, the most important thing in the world to him, and to his many friends in all parts of the profession who will feel his passing keenly.”
Read more in Clarity.
Optometry Wales supports wellbeing book
Members across the UK can access a free digital version of a wellbeing book that helps practitioners navigate the profession’s pressures and challenges.
‘The Person Behind the Role: Wellbeing and Purpose in Optometry’ by optometrist Sheena Tanna-Shah, explores identity, confidence and the pressures of professional and personal responsibilities.
Read more in Clarity.
Recommendations for low vision service
Optometry Scotland (OS) has published ‘Community Low Vision Service in Scotland: Considerations and Recommendations for Implementation’, a paper explaining how to develop a sustainable optometry-led low vision service following its inclusion in the Scottish Government’s 2026–27 budget.
The paper’s recommendations include letting optometrists and dispensing opticians work “to full scope” and “linking community optometry, rehabilitation, social care, hospital eye services and the third sector in one coordinated pathway”. Read more.
Scotland foundation training year
OS has published advice for practices about the Foundation Training Year (FTY). It supports the FTY and welcomes confirmation from Public Services Delivery Scotland that supervised GOS eye examinations will attract 100% of the applicable fee. However, it also says that practices require more information about how the training year will work in practice, including contractual responsibilities and the impact on day-to-day operations.
Webinar on regulatory and claims risk
Reminder: Members are invited to a webinar led by Clyde & Co’s legal healthcare experts. It will explore events shaping the eye care sector and offer practical ways to help companies navigate regulatory risk with confidence.
Register for ‘Exploring current issues shaping the sector’ on 24 September.
At a glance
- The GOC has given stage three approval to the new De Montfort University (DMU) Optometry masters (MOptom) course in Leicester. Read more.
- A study published in JAMA Ophthalmology examines the effectiveness of Essilor Stellest spectacle lenses in slowing myopia progression in children.
- LOCSU publishes a profile of new board member Haris Iqbal, an optometrist from the West Midlands, who has an interest in myopia, education and innovation.
- Nominations are open for BCLA’s Irving Fatt Memorial Lecture, which recognises outstanding postgraduate research into contact lenses and/or the interior eye. Read more.
- A large comparative study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology shows a possible link between long-term use of the erectile dysfunction medication tadalafil and a greater risk of glaucoma.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of tele-ophthalmology shows that patient satisfaction appears to be comparable to standard in-person care. Read more.
Health policy news
Bill to abolish NHS England clears Commons
The Health Bill, which abolishes NHS England, passed its third reading in the House of Commons yesterday and will now move to the House of Lords.
Yvette Cooper, the health secretary, said the bill would strengthen accountability, reduce bureaucracy and improve patient care.
Opposition proposals focused on corridor care, puberty blockers, single-sex facilities and concerns about transferring the Health Services Safety Investigation Body’s functions to the CQC. However, these were rejected.
Speaking during the bill’s remaining stages, health minister Karin Smyth committed to reviewing provisions on the abolition of Healthwatch, which gathers feedback from patient groups.
The backbench MP Rachael Maskell has campaigned to retain and strengthen Healthwatch. She said ministers now accepted that its independent role was important.
FODO, working with sector partners and wider primary care contractor professions, has tracked the Bill closely to ensure primary eye care services are not inadvertently impacted. FODO will continue to do this work as the Bill proceeds to the House of Lords.