12 January 2024

FODO member update - 12 January

This week:

• Road safety campaign
• Vote for the Collaborative Eye Care Award
• Scotland - GOS mandatory training
• Wales - eye care measures for NHS outpatients
• England - medical retina training available
• Other sector news
• Policy news

Road safety campaign

Road Safety Scotland and the Scottish Government have launched a new road safety campaign - Fitness to Drive. The campaign will raise awareness about vision and driving and encourage older drivers to get an eye examination to continue driving safely.

Download campaign assets 

Vote for the Collaborative Eye Care Award

The Ophthalmologist and The New Optometrist have created an award to recognise projects that help drive real change in eye care through better collaboration between optometry and ophthalmology. There are eight entries this year: vote now. 

Scotland - GOS mandatory training

Optometry Scotland reminds all optometrists to log in and undertake their 2024 mandatory GOS training. This year's training focuses on equality, diversity and inclusion in healthcare settings and shares relevant legislation and potential areas for improvement in primary eye care settings. 

Wales - eye care measures for NHS outpatients

Data published this month shows that as of November, 150,994 pathways where the patient was assessed as Health Risk Factor R1 were waiting for an ophthalmology appointment. This compares to 135,308 patient pathways from the same period in 2022. 

England - medical retina training available

Reminder: NHS England has agreed to Roche-funded CPD in ophthalmology for allied health professionals, including optometrists. NHS hospital-based optometrists and other optometrists employed by the NHS in England can access the course. Learn more. 

Other sector news

• Moorfields relaunches its innovation and improvement grants to drive innovation at its hospitals.

• A small study at John Hopkins suggests that autonomous AI diabetic eye screening, which did not require dilation, resulted in younger patients being more willing to undertake screening at the same time as other appointments.

• RNIB and Science Museum team up to give families of children with vision impairment a fun, accessible day out.

Policy news

• NHS England has announced the appointment of Andrew Taylor as chair of the new Provider Selection Regime (PSR) Independent Patient Choice and Procurement Panel. The panel is tasked with ensuring decisions made under the new PSR are transparent, fair and proportionate.

• Last year, NHS England readvertised 20 national clinical director (NCD) roles. Louisa Wickham remains in post as NCD for eye care (Source HSJ).

• The BBC reports that most NHS targets across the UK have been missed for at least seven years.

• The Welsh Government is consulting on changes to Health service procurement in Wales and Health Impact Assessment (Wales) Regulations. The FODO policy team will review both consultations and discuss the next steps with Optometry Wales and all sector partners. At this stage, no member action is required.

• Pharmacy regulator responds to BBC investigation into online prescription-only medicines.