14 April 2020

FODO Member Covid-19 update

We hope you managed to get some rest over the Easter bank holiday. In this member update we help you catch up with events over the weekend: 

• Updated PPE guidance 
• Call to action - act on eye problems 
• New OFNC FAQs and other advice 
• England - new NHS guidance on deploying clinical/non-clinical optical workforce
• Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) 
• Other financial news (Scotland) 
• Employment law support 
• Mental wellbeing support 
• FODO update  

PPE Update

Primary eye care providers (UK) 

The College of Optometrists updated its PPE guidance just before the bank holiday and we recommend all members read this in full. Learn more by reading our 9 April update.    

Ophthalmology providers (UK) 

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCO) also updated its PPE guidance for hospital-based staff on 9 April. Read the updated PPE for ophthalmology and PPE principles of ophthalmic staff protection. We continue to monitor the RCO website for other Covid-19 updates.

Infection control leads (UK) 

As advised on 6 April, those leading on infection control should continue to monitor official infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance for updates. 
Changes made over the bank holiday were: 

• 10 April – updated guidance, new Tables 1,3 and 4, and added links 
• 12 April – statement added to emphasise that the UK is currently in a period of ‘sustained community transmission’ of Covid-19. 

The 12 April update means that Table 4 PPE applies where appropriate in addition to Table 2.    

PPE plan, hub and website (England) 

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) published a PPE plan and launched a PPE hub on 10 April. 

The three-strand plan sets out a strategy to:

1. Be clearer on who needs PPE and when (guidance)
2. Make sure those who need PPE can get it and at the right time (distribution) 
3. Secure enough PPE to maintain supplies through the crisis (future supply). 

The plan includes details on distributing PPE via 38 Local Resilience Forums (paras 1.46 to 1.48). 

Learn more about LRFs in England – this resource includes local contact details for your LRF should these become necessary as the pandemic progresses. This is important as LRFs may have to take on wider local coordination roles if the situation becomes more severe and normal organisations and distribution arrangements become overwhelmed. 

The new PPE hub launched on 10 April aims to provide easy access to all the government’s guidance on PPE in one place. Those leading on infection control in England should continue to monitor this PPE hub regularly for updates. 

Please note that there are also plans to launch a new PPE website within a few weeks which should make it easier for primary care to order PPE. Once this is live, we will update you via a member alert. 

LOCSU is also seeking to source PPE supplies for practices through NHS Supply Chain and other providers for possible coordination via LOCs. This is work in progress.                      

Call to action – act on eye problems 

As the pandemic becomes more established, concerns have been raised that people suffering from serious non Covid-19 conditions are not seeking support – including because they are anxious about the risk of catching Covid-19 or concerned about ‘burdening’ stretched GP and hospital services. 

This has prompted the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) to urge patients and the public to continue to seek help for serious conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic. Read the full AoMRC statement. 

FODO members have reported similar concerns in eye care in the UK and Ireland. Last week we heard that some ophthalmology departments had noticed a reduction in the number of people attending for retinal detachment surgery, the most likely cause being people not acting on serious signs and symptoms during the pandemic. 

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists has said that many “ophthalmologists are concerned that some patients may be too worried to attend appointments”. It has collaborated with the Macular Society to emphasise that injection treatments and other care to reduce the risk of severe vision loss continue. It has also highlighted its collaboration with the College of Optometrists which aims to “minimise the risk of visual loss by maintaining essential eye care in hospitals and the community”. Learn more. 

FODO members will of course be playing their role by referring emergency patients whose care cannot be postponed through local emergency ophthalmology pathways. 

To raise public awareness, the RNIB has also advised patients to seek help for any of the following symptoms: 

• Loss of vision 
• Blurred vision 
• Pain with or without discharge 
• Light sensitivity 
• Double vision 
• Flashes of light in their vision 
• Disturbances in their vision 
• New floating bits in their vision. 

The RNIB advises that if patients have any “sudden onset loss of vision or double vision they should contact their hospital’s A&E department for advice”, and that otherwise people should call their “own or a local optician in the first instance and 111 if they are not available”. It urges people not to ignore “these symptoms or wait until after the Covid-19 situation has eased”.                       

New OFNC FAQs 

The OFNC updated its FAQs for GOS providers in England on 9 April. This includes more information on payments. Read the latest update. 

There is also a significant amount of misinformation and misleading information online about the NHS 1 April letter. We advise members to avoid this and follow the official OFNC FAQs only. Queries about these or any other matters can be sent to [email protected]. They will then be fed into the central process and clarified through official OFNC FAQs as necessary.  

England – new NHS guidance on deploying clinical/non-clinical optical workforce 

NHS England-Improvement has published guidance on how the clinical and non-clinical optical workforce might volunteer for support of the NHS clinical delivery plan for Covid-19. We are working with sector partners and will send members a more detailed update shortly. 

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) 

The HMRC is now testing the new online CJRS platform and has said it will be publishing guidance on how you should compile your claims this week. We continue to monitor this and will update you as soon as this is published. In the meantime, please note the online CRJS platform is expected to go live on 20 April and HMRC aims to start making grant payments, via BACS to UK bank accounts, by 30 April. We would advise you to read what you’ll need to make a claim so you are ready to apply for CRJS grants by 20 April.  

Other financial news (Scotland) 

On Friday 10 April, the Scottish government confirmed that the notice period for commercial leases would be extended from 14 days to 14 weeks during the Covid-19 crisis. This means a lease cannot now be terminated for non-payment of rent until Week 14. This applies to all commercial property leases, including those where a warning notice has already been issued and has not already expired. Learn more. 

Employment law support 

Many of you have already taken advantage of the extensive support available to all FODO members by emailing [email protected] or calling 01244 688422. As a FODO member, you can also sign up to the Coronavirus advice HR hub, where you can access sample letters and policies, risk assessment templates and FAQs and guidance documents.  

Mental wellbeing support 

This is an incredibly stressful time for everybody working in primary eye care and ophthalmology. Whether you are a practice owner, business director or clinician, there is a lot going on now and it can at times feel both overwhelming and lonely. It is important that you know you are not alone and that others are facing similar seemingly impossible challenges at present. Please make sure you take some time out and look after your own health and wellbeing. You might also find the following resources helpful for you and your team: 

• CBI – mental health during Covid-19 webinar and FAQs (webinar 12 min 20 seconds) – provides guidance and support for business leaders 

• AoMRC Covid-19 – mental health and wellbeing for healthcare professionals’ resource – provides access to tips and resources for healthcare professionals 

• Mind Covid-19 resource – includes supporting a team at work, managing stress, wellbeing advice and more. 

Please get in touch if we can do anything more to help you through this extremely difficult time by emailing us, [email protected], or the executive team directly: 

[email protected] 
[email protected] 
[email protected]             

FODO update 

We remain open seven days a week at FODO to support you throughout the Covid-19 crisis. If you need us, contact us as usual at [email protected] or call 020 7298 5151.