26 June 2020

Friday’s roundup – sector news

1.    Covid-19: air conditioning, fans and ventilation

As members prepare to re-open or expand eye care services throughout the UK, the use of PPE and the current weather can make it challenging to practise comfortably. With immaculate timing, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) helpfully published a short guide on the use of air conditioning, fans and proper ventilation during the pandemic. Read HSE guide.

2.     Shielding patients in England

On Monday, the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed that, in response to the lower prevalence of Covid-19 in the community, people currently shielding in England could spend more time outside from 6 July. The goal is to end the need to shield by 31 July.

3.    Social distancing

As expected, on Tuesday the Prime Minister announced that from 4 July in England guidance would allow people to keep a social distance of ‘one metre plus’, but only where it is not possible to stay two metres apart. The Stormont Executive has also confirmed it will move to a one-metre distance from Monday 29 June. In primary eye care settings, however, members are advised to continue following official sector guidance from the NHS/Health Service and the College of Optometrists.

4.  Scotland

On 24 June, the Scottish Government provided further detail on its route map for moving out of lockdown and re-confirmed plans to increase capacity within community optometry practices for emergency and essential eye care from 13 July.

5.    GOC petition

The General Optical Council (GOC) has today responded to a petition which calls for an investigation into an alleged conflict of interest at the UK’s optical regulator.

In its statement, the GOC addresses allegations made in the petition. It explains that it has not changed its position on the re-opening of optical practices and providing access to its longstanding policies on managing conflicts of interests at Council level and within the organisation and fitness to practise concerns.

The statement sets the approach the GOC has taken throughout the pandemic, including working closely with professional and representative bodies from across the UK, including FODO. It also responds to other points made in the petition, including the optometry apprenticeship programme and a recent video of a Specsavers practice posted on social media.

The GOC has confirmed that it has spoken with the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) about the petition and expressed its willingness to provide further information to help the PSA look into allegations made.

Read the GOC’s full statement.

6.    CBI insurance webinar for SMEs

FODO members can now sign up to a CBI webinar on insurance and the issues SMEs have faced since the lockdown. It will be held on Monday 29 June, from 3.30pm to 4.15pm, and will provide critical insights on:

• The importance of managing risks and an overview of different business risks
• An overview of different risks that SMEs should be managing
• How insurance works and its role in supporting SMEs
• The role of the broker, and how to get the best from them
• Top 10 tips for SMEs, from deploying insurance to managing risks.

Register for this webinar.

7.    Charity Commission inquiry report into safeguarding lapse at RNIB

Finally, this week the Charity Commission published a report into governance and safeguarding failures at the RNIB. The report, which is highly critical of the charity’s leadership at the time, states that although the charity is making good progress against the action plan to correct serious failures in governance, the charity remains under ongoing statutory supervision until it has implemented all of the required reforms.

Read the full report.