31 May 2024

FODO member update - 31 May

This week:

• FODO sets out election plan
• Eye care hits national election news
• Other election updates
• GOC consults on draft strategy for 2025-30
• Royal College publishes AMD guidance
• WCO Competency framework explained
• NIHR portal now hosts optometry research modules
• OSA to discuss vision passport
• At a glance
• Health policy updates

FODO sets out election plan

Thank you to all members who have continued to play an active role in our policy and public affairs work since we published The future of primary eye care last year. We will engage with prospective parliamentary candidates (PPCs) in the coming weeks and focus on the following:

• Fighting to end avoidable sight loss due to delays in accessing hospital eye care services
• The urgent need to rebalance priorities and investment from secondary to primary care services for the benefit of patients, the NHS and taxpayers
• The benefits of more effective, efficient and standardised IT connectivity between primary and secondary care
• The need to protect and advance primary ophthalmic services in England, which is far behind the rest of the UK.

We will also have more detailed discussions with senior politicians in all parties, government policymakers and some PPCs about the eye care workforce and innovation where we and our members lead on the sector's behalf.

Over the coming weeks, we will launch our eye care manifesto and new animations to promote the significant benefits of a comprehensive primary eye care service. We will also contact members in specific constituencies to help organise practice visits with PPCs and newly elected MPs. Members who wish to participate in our public affairs work can email [email protected]. 

Eye care hits national election news

Labour's Wes Streeting (shadow health secretary) hit the election trail this week. He said that should his party win the election they would use high-street opticians in England to ease the pressure on hospital eye services.

This reiterated Labour's previous commitment, which FODO discussed with the shadow team and welcomed in January this year.

In The Telegraph, Mr Streeting wrote that Labour would focus on clearing the NHS backlog and wanted the "NHS to form partnerships with the private sector that goes beyond just the hospitals". He said high street opticians have the staff and equipment to help and the ability to tackle the 220,000 patients waiting more than 18 weeks for a hospital appointment.

He also told the BBC (2hrs 11min) this week that the NHS had to do more on early diagnosis and prevention, highlighting eye care as a prime example. He said he had talked to "Specsavers who have the staff and kit. They're ready to help with things like scans, check-ups and monitoring of conditions like glaucoma, which would free up vital NHS capacity to do the things only the NHS can do". 

Other election updates

Within the sector, AWN reports on how high street ear and eye care could be a release valve for NHS waiting list pressures, with Giles Edmonds, Specsavers' clinical services director and Gordon Harrison, its director of audiology, setting out the case for enhanced primary eye care and a national primary care audiology service. OT also reports Specsavers and the AOP's views on the general election.

FODO will update you on all the eye care news in our newsletter as manifestos are published and the election campaign proceeds. 

GOC consults on draft strategy for 2025-30

The GOC is consulting on its draft strategy for 2025-30, which includes new vision and mission statements. The consultation will close on 10 July.

FODO will analyse this on its members' behalf. If you would like to take part in this work, please share your views by emailing [email protected] by 28 June. 

Royal College publishes AMD guidance

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists has published commissioning guidance for AMD services. The guidance is for ICBs and the wider sector, including primary eye care and "reflects this integration and highlight the areas that need commissioning, if not already commissioned." 

WCO Competency framework explained

The World Council of Optometry launched its new Competency framework for optometry in March 2024. Read more about it. 

NIHR portal now hosts optometry research modules

The College of Optometrists and Ulster University have developed learning modules to support optometrists undertaking research. They produced the Getting Started in Optometric Research modules as part of a National Institute for Health and Social Care Research (NIHR) funded project. Read more. 

OSA to discuss vision passport

The Digital Eye Care Alliance (DECA) meeting at the OSA Summer Belfry event on 10 June will discuss rapid advances in digital eyecare, including the concept of a Vision Passport.

Dr Stephanie Campbell, DECA vice chair, will run a workshop on how a Vision Passport might bring optometry and ophthalmology data together and open "the patient to remote triaging and hybrid care technologies through a single platform".

The event is also open to non-OSA members. Read more. 

At a glance

• NHS England's Eyecare Transformation Team has published new guidance for commissioners, Specifying cataract services. It states: "A minimum of 11% of all cataracts nationally should be made available for the purposes of training." It also encourages ICBs to ensure providers submit datasets and comply with patient choice regulations and the Provider Selection Regime.
• RCOphth has published its glaucoma procedure dataset, setting out essential information to be collected for all patients undergoing surgical or laser intraocular pressure lowering procedures.
• Dr Louise Wood CBE was appointed as Moorfields Eye Charity's new chair. Read more.
• The UK clinical eye research strategy: refreshing research priorities for clinical eye research in the UK. Read more.

Health policy updates

The dissolution of Parliament happened on 30 May, so all business in the House of Commons and House of Lords has ended. Here is a summary of eye-related business in the run-up to 30 May:

• Jim Shannon asked the DHSC about the potential impact of more combined cataract and glaucoma procedures taking place in independent sector treatment centres on (a) public spending and (b) patient wellbeing. Andrea Leadsom said combined treatment is already considered when clinically appropriate. However, given the chronic nature of glaucoma, such procedures "should be performed within units that are providing the full range of services, including diagnosing, treating, and monitoring patients".
• Baroness Redfern asked about plans to publish a national pathway for the elective care of all ophthalmology conditions in addition to that in place for cataracts. Lord Markham said there were no plans to do this.

In Scotland, Jackie Baillie asked the Scottish Government (SG) for an update on what is being done to reduce NHS waiting times. SG said it had invested £30 million and would invest another £270 million over three years to reduce waits in services, including ophthalmology.
 
HSJ reports that the flagship Pharmacy First scheme is still a postcode lottery, with a seven-fold variation between ICSs.