25 April 2020

Covid-19 update: primary eye care

At FODO we are supporting members round the clock seven days a week throughout the COVID-19 crisis. If you need us, please email or call us as usual. 

In this update: 

1. Official advice and guidance 
2. Clinical update 
3. NHS England and Improvement - financial support 
4. Primary eye care - urgent and emergency services 
5. Covid-19 toolkit for primary eye care - Wales 
6. PPE update 
7. Employer Q&A and ongoing support 
8. Financial support update 
9. The exit strategy - when will this end and how? 
10. Other news        

1.Official advice and guidance 

Official advice is updated regularly and notified through FODO alerts. The links below will enable you to keep up to date between FODO alerts and updates

Government and public health advice 

• England: Government and Public Health England 
• Northern Ireland: Government and HSC Public Health Agency 
• Scotland: Government and Health Protection Scotland 
• Wales: Government and Public Health Wales 

Health service advice 

• NHS England: Primary care and Primary eye care 
• Health Service Northern Ireland: Primary eye care 
• NHS Scotland: Primary care and Primary eye care 
• NHS Wales: Primary eye care, including Covid-19 FAQs 

People at increased risk and the extremely vulnerable 

There are two different high-risk groups for Covid-19. Those at an increased risk of severe illness and the extremely vulnerable who are at the greatest risk of severe illness. 

• England: people at increased risk and extremely vulnerable people 
• Northern Ireland: people considered vulnerable and extremely vulnerable 
• Scotland: people at higher risk and extremely high risk 
• Wales: people at increased risk and the extremely vulnerable 

2.Clinical update 

Members should continue to follow Covid-19 clinical guidelines from the College of Optometrists and Royal College of Ophthalmologists. 

This week: 

• The College of Optometrists published a guide on patient support and information during the lockdown, which includes a chart to assess vision at home with a video guide. It also added new FAQs on how to manage patients who need a DVLA assessment

• The Royal College of Ophthalmologists updated its overview of digital technology and telemedicine for Covid-19. 

There are also helpful open source support tools: 

• The College's Covid-19: FAQs for patients and patient website lookafteryoureyes.org which the NHS also recommends. For example, you might want to signpost people to this resource on your own Covid-19 webpage so patients can access information on a range of conditions out of hours. 

• Coronavirus information hub produced by leading sector charities including the RNIB, Guide Dogs, Fight for Sight and the Macular Society 

• RNIB public advice on what patients should do if they are worried about their vision during the pandemic.

3.NHS England and Improvement - financial support 

Members are starting to receive letters from some NHS England and Improvement (NHSE-I) area teams about financial support for optical practices. 

These letters include whether you are classified as open or closed and confirmation that financial support is effective if you are classified as open from March 2020, with average retrospective payments starting in May 2020 until further notice. The OFNC also published a statement on GOS support payments yesterday. 

If you are classified as open, your website, phone messages and all other information for patients should accurately reflect the open status of each practice location. This avoids any risk of confusion for patients or NHS England and Improvement area teams. Members in England should read the latest OFNC FAQs (18 April) to ensure compliance. 

4.Primary eye care - urgent and emergency services 

In Scotland, the government has praised the new emergency eyecare treatment centres set up by Scottish health boards which will help reduce the need for patients to attend hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman thanked optometry and ophthalmology professions "for their excellent collaboration in establishing, at pace, more than 50 Emergency Eyecare Treatment Centres across Scotland to manage patients without Covid-19 symptoms who need an emergency face-to-face consultation". She also welcomed the use of innovative tele-ophthalmology, adding: "This means that more patients can be immediately diagnosed and treated in a community setting while gaining an expert opinion from the secondary care ophthalmology team." Read more. 

In England, as reported in our 17 April update, a new Covid-19 urgent eyecare service (CUES) framework is being implemented primarily in the 50 per cent of CCGs which do not already have locally commissioned enhanced services. The College of Optometrists has supported the clinical pathways within the CUES framework, adding that it had worked collaboratively with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists "to develop and endorse the clinical pathways at the heart of [CUES]". Read more.  

5.Covid-19 toolkit for primary eye care - Wales 

In Wales, the Welsh government, Optometry Wales and other stakeholders have produced a Covid-19 toolkit for optical practices. The 23-page toolkit includes advice on: working in clusters, what to do if your practice is closed, education and training, an overview of financial support, examining patients, PPE and more. Access the toolkit.   

6.PPE update 

Members have informed us about vendors offering masks and other PPE for sales that might be non-compliant. Other primary care professionals have also reported a risk of fraud linked to PPE supplies, including a letter about face masks claiming to be from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). 

We recommend members use the Cabinet Office and DHSC Technical Specifications for PPE guidance, as these set out the technical and regulatory standards for PPE. Although this guidance was written for new suppliers/manufacturers, it should help you check the PPE you are purchasing is fit for purpose. 

You can still access our 14 April PPE update here. Please also continue to keep up-to-date with official infection prevention and control (IPC) procedures and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) guidance throughout the pandemic. 

Finally, Public Health England has published Covid-19 guidance on how to work safely in care homes. This includes a video on PPE. This should be read alongside infection prevention and control guidance and current clinical guidance from the sector Colleges (see above).     

7.Employer Q&A and ongoing support - 30 April 2pm to 2.30pm 

As a FODO member, you can join a Q&A webinar for employers on Tuesday 30 April, 2pm to 2.30pm which will guide you through Covid-19 related staffing and safety challenges. Learn more and register. 

Members who need employment law advice should continue to email [email protected].  

Support finder tool - UK 

The government has launched a new 'support finder' tool to help determine what financial support is available during the coronavirus pandemic. Use the tool. 

There are also helpful summaries:

• England 
• Northern Ireland 
• Scotland 
• Wales 

Coronavirus job retention scheme (CJRS) - UK 

We notified members as soon as the CJRS application process opened on Monday 20 April and are pleased that some of you have already started to receive payments. 

HMRC has now also added an online CJRS calculator and a new webinar about how to make a CJRS claim. 

DWP confirmed on 24 April that workers planning to take paid parental or adoption leave will be entitled to pay based on their usual earnings rates (not their furloughed pay rate). Read more.  

Covid-19 self-employment income support scheme (SEISS) - UK 

HMRC says it aims to contact those eligible to make a SEISS claim by mid-May. 

HMRC will host a SEISS webinar on Monday 27 April 1.45pm to 2.34 pm. Register for this event.

Coronavirus large business interruption loans scheme (CLBILS) - UK 

Organisations with a turnover of more than £500 million are now also eligible for CLBILS. Learn more.        

9.The exit strategy when will this end and how? 

Building on the UK Government's five tests for easing lockdown, the Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly have published frameworks on decision making for Covid-19 management. We will be writing to members separately about what these and other guidance signify as we help members plan for the weeks and months ahead. 

We will also be inviting members to attend meetings with the FODO Executive Team about business continuity, lockdown exit and recovery strategies so that we can do everything possible to support each member through the crisis. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us: [email protected].   

10.Other news 

Covid-19 testing England 

Following our 18 April update on Covid-19 testing, this has now been extended in England to all essential workers and members of their households who are showing symptoms of coronavirus. Learn more.  

e-GOS - England 

NHSE-I is estimating GOS activity will fall to about 15% of normal activity and is therefore keen that contractors use this opportunity to register for e-GOS. The PCSE system is free of charge and should help you submit GOS claims more efficiently in future and make monthly payments easier to process. If you have not yet registered you can contact the ophthalmic engagement team at [email protected] who will help you mobilise e-GOS.  

IP exam update 

Optometrists waiting to sit their IP exam on 1 April can now sit the exam online in May. Candidates that originally planned to sit the exam on 1 April should email [email protected] now.    

Charities challenge prime minister on accessible coronavirus information 

The RNIB, Action on Hearing Loss and other leading charities have written to the prime minister, Boris Johnson, to express "significant concerns about the accessibility of public health information in relation to Covid-19 and the significant risk this poses to disabled people and the nation as a whole". 

The letter goes on to say that over 4.5 million people have more moderate and severe sight and hearing loss and they are missing out on vital public health information at this critical time and this group is more likely to be over- represented in those who are at risk of becoming severely ill as a result of Covid-19. 

They have urged the prime minister to act now to ensure information is accessible in order to reduce risks. Read the full letter.      

NHS urges public to get care when they need it - England 

The NHS in England has today launched a new campaign to encourage the public to act on the urgent care and treatment they need. 

The campaign will include digital adverts, posters and social media posts and be rolled out next week to "persuade people to contact their GP or the 111 service if they have urgent care needs - or 999 in emergencies - and to attend hospital if they are told they should". 

The NHS has also confirmed that in the coming weeks it will start to encourage people to use other vital services as they usually would where it is safe to do so. 

This follows the 7 April call to action by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges for patients to act on serious health conditions during the pandemic.