FODO member update – 2 October

This week: 

• Member renewal process 

• World Sight Day 

• Report says better use of primary eye care could save billions 

• Hakim Group recognised in UK business awards 

• Moorfields offers private eye checks for GLP-1 patients 

• Webinars for members 

• Cybersecurity webinars 

• Feedback on Wales practice manager development 

• At a glance 

• Health policy news

Member renewal process

Please note we are currently in the final stages of testing an improved process for annual renewal forms. We will email all members with details of the new system next week. In the meantime, if you have any questions please feel free to contact the membership team directly by emailing [email protected].

World Sight Day

FODO is supporting a campaign on the importance of testing children’s eyes, centred on World Sight Day on 8 October. The campaign will include cross channel promotion including press and broadcast opportunities.

This is a great opportunity for the entire practice team to get involved. So please do encourage optometrists, dispensing opticians, contact lens opticians and the wider team to support and promote the campaign locally.

The College of Optometrists has also created a children’s eye health resource hub, which offers online learning and CPD resources to help registrants prepare for an increase in request for children’s eye tests.

While the campaign will come with official assets that include branded sponsors, all FODO members can prepare their local materials for the day using #CareForChildrensEyes – but please do not use the # before the 8 October.

Read more about the campaign in Clarity.

Report says better use of primary eye care could save billions

Specsavers released its 2026 Access to Care report at the Labour party conference this week. It says expanding community eye and hearing services could save the UK £2.91 billion a year by 2040 by reducing delays and relieving pressure on hospitals and general practice.

The report puts the current cost of sight loss to the economy at £56.7 billion and the cost of hearing loss at £49.7 billion. It predicts these figures will rise to £70.3 billion and £56.6 billion by 2040.

Read more in Clarity.

Hakim Group recognised in UK business awards

Hakim Group has been named among the winners of Deloitte’s UK Best Managed Companies 2026 awards, which recognise leading privately owned businesses.

The judges assessed companies’ performance across strategy, culture and commitment, capabilities and innovation, and governance and financial performance.

Read more in Clarity. 

Moorfields offers private eye checks for GLP-1 patients

Moorfield Private has launched an eye health assessment service for people taking weight-loss medications.

The service includes retinal imaging, screening for signs of eye disease and a consultation with a specialist ophthalmologist.

Moorfields said current evidence does not support additional monitoring for everyone taking GLP-1 medicines. However, an assessment may benefit people who have an existing eye condition, changes in their vision or concerns about their eye health.

Hospital accounts show that Moorfields made £48.6 million in 2025/26 from private patients, with £278.1 million from NHS care and £57.1m from other income. The accounts also note surplus from any private income is “re-invested in the delivery and development of NHS services”.

Read more in Clarity.

Webinars for members

Members are invited to an informative, practical session on how employers can better support employees experiencing menopause, understand their responsibilities and manage potential workplace risks.

Managing Menopause in the Workplace – 8 October, from 2pm to 3pm. Register here.

From 1 January 2027, changes to the law mean that employees will qualify for ordinary unfair dismissal protection after six months’ service instead of two years.

Worknest’s employment law and HR experts are holding an interactive Q&A session dedicated to answering your questions about probation periods and the upcoming changes to unfair dismissal rights.

Probation Periods for Employers: 70 Days to Go – 22 October. Register here. 

Cybersecurity webinars

NHS England is repeating its free cybersecurity webinars run by the City of London Police’s Cyber Griffin team for primary eye care providers.

The webinars share real-world intelligence on cyber threats and offer practical steps on how to protect against them.

Cyber Baseline Part A: 4 November 1pm-2.15pm
Cyber Baseline Part B: 24 November 1pm-2.15pm

Feedback on Wales practice manager development

Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) is seeking views on its proposed Practice Manager Development Framework, which outlines core capabilities for practice managers working across primary care settings, including GOS.

The framework supports the Strategic Workforce Plan for Primary Care and the ambitions of A Healthier Wales by strengthening practice manager capability.

Members in Wales are invited to complete the feedback form or e-mail [email protected] by 13 November 2026.

At a glance 

• The University of the Highlands and Islands is recruiting for a lecturer in optometry and an optometry tutor. Find out more. 

• Jessica Gowing, senior dispensing optician at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, has received the International Optician of the Year award for her work in paediatric dispensing, Dispensing Optics magazine reports. 

• The College of Optometrists has received a Silver TIDE Award for its equality, diversity and inclusion work. Read more. 
• Optometrist John McGuinness has announced his appointment as head of professional advancement at Specsavers in a LinkedIn post. 
• The Royal College of Ophthalmologists is taking nominations for its 2027 honorary fellowships. Nominations close on 15 December. Read more. 
• The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness has announced 14 partners supporting its first Global Summit for Eye Health in Antigua and Barbuda on 2 November, eyenews reports.
  

Health policy news

Health at the Labour Party conference

FODO attended this week’s Labour conference in Liverpool on behalf of members, including joining the BMA and MPs for a pan-sector discussion on workforce.

At the conference, Andy Burnham announced plans for a fully funded National Care Service, adding that from April 2030, reforming the triple lock on pensions would help pay for it.

Health secretary Yvette Cooper used her keynote speech to announce the return of Sure Start centres to support new families, which were developed by Labour the last time she was a health minister, under Tony Blair in the 1990s.

At a packed fringe event the day before, Ms Cooper said she would remain focused on neighbourhood health, as outlined in the 10 Year Health Plan and work on devolution proposals, including closer alignment of ICBs with mayoral strategic authorities.

Prevention is at the centre of her agenda, spanning early intervention, technology and diagnostics. She said that while primary care should be at the heart of neighbourhood health, it must include services beyond general practice. Something FODO has long advocated for and has welcomed.

Dame Diana Johnson, minister for public health and patient safety, attended a panel discussion on community-based healthcare funded by the AOP, where she said that all parts of the healthcare system need to be involved in neighbourhood health. At the event the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said that out-of-hospital emergency services had to offer extended opening hours to have a sustainable impact. The event also promoted the role of pharmacy, noting the government was using the skills and knowledge of pharmacists to expand community healthcare through Pharmacy First.

IHPN says using independent providers is the only way to meet NHS targets

Writing in the HSJ, David Hare, chief executive of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, calls for expanded patient choice and the use of independent providers to ensure more people are seen as quickly as possible.

“Waiting lists have reduced from their peak of 7.7 million to around 7.3 million, but on the basis of NHS England’s own analysis that the list needs to drop to around 4 million by March 2029, at this point we should be closer to the 6 million mark,” he said.

He urged ICBs to be bold, shifting activity away from the poorest-performing providers and towards those that can successfully treat patients within 18 weeks. The capacity to make faster progress already exists. He said: “ICBs can shift activity to providers that can treat patients sooner, make full use of independent sector capacity, and ensure that patient choice works in practice.”