07 June 2024

FODO member update - 7 June

This week:

• FODO publishes patient choice guidance
• Cyber-attack - reducing risk and preparedness
• BBC discusses contact lenses
• Take part in Digital Health and Care Wales research
• At a glance
• Policy updates

FODO publishes patient choice guidance

Thank you to everybody who took part in our consultation on patient choice guidance. We have now published Supporting patient choice in England.
 
This guidance uses FAQs to support primary eye care in understanding current regulations and help patients benefit from their right to choose an ophthalmology provider. It answers FAQs, provides an example of patient choice in practice, and explains the importance of regulation and compliance regarding patient choice.
 
If you have questions or want us to add specific guidance, please email [email protected]. 

Cyber-attack - reducing risk and preparedness

This week, several NHS hospitals experienced a cyber-attack, causing them to cancel procedures and declare a critical incident. It is a reminder that we all need to mitigate the risk of a cyber-attack and have a clear Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) to manage a potential attack. Members might find the following resources helpful:

• Take advantage of the Government-backed Cyber Essentials scheme. This can help you protect your organisation against the most common cyber-attacks. It includes the Cyber Essentials readiness toolkit, which allows you to answer questions and create a personalised action plan.
• The National Cyber Security Centre provides eligible organisations with many free cyber security tools as part of its Active Cyber Defence (ACD) programme.
• Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and IBM provide helpful guides on developing a DRP.

BBC discusses contact lenses

BBC Sliced Bread, which investigates 'wonder products making bold claims', discusses contact lenses this week. The conversation with Daniel Hardiman-McCartney, clinical adviser to the College of Optometrists and Sarah Smith, a research optometrist, covers the difference between daily and monthly lenses, impacts on the environment and marketing versus evidence-based healthcare. Listen now. 

Take part in Digital Health and Care Wales research

Digital Health and Care Wales has commissioned Kainos to conduct research to inform digital support for optometrists. Your input into a survey will help inform NHS Wales priorities. You can participate in two ways:

• In one-to-one discovery interviews (30-45 minutes) exploring topics related to '21^st century challenges you face in providing clinical and shared care for your patients and opportunities for improvement'. Express an interest.
• Complete a 5-minute survey with 7 questions. Take part by 21 June.  

At a glance

• PCSE has extended your opportunity to test eGOS claim query improvements. It now closes on 11 June. Learn more.
• 91-year-old man benefits from new cornea procedure. Read more.
• Wales has published data on Eye care measures for NHS outpatients: April 2024 
• AOP has published its 2024 annual report. Read more.
• Join the College of Optometrists optometric and ophthalmic community research webinar on 24 June at 5.30pm.
• Sarah Farrant formally took over as BCLA president at its AGM on 5 June. Sarah is an international therapeutics and dry eye management expert and previously sat on the College of Optometrists Council for 12 years.

Policy updates

General election updates:

• This week, FODO and NCHA met Preet Kaur Gill, the shadow minister for primary care and public health, to discuss all that primary eye care and primary care audiology can do for the patients our members serve. Catch up on our election plan and contact us if you would like to participate in this work.
• All parties said they would invest more in the NHS, with details pending in most cases on how this would be funded.
• Healthcare and tax played a leading role in the first head-to-head debate between the prime minister, Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

The Scottish Parliament debated a vision for health and social care in Scotland. Neil Gray, the cabinet secretary for health and social care, said: "Primary care, which is the crucial bedrock of the NHS and the key to driving sustainable, effective and good value-for-money healthcare, has a well-established collaborative programme of reform and improvement already under way". He said that "improving access to primary care and shifting care to the community is and must be a key focus of reform" and that Scotland must now "embrace innovation and change". He said this must start with optometrists and audiology services doing more.
 
Meanwhile, responding to a question by Jackie Baillie, MSP, about adequate funding of IP optometrists and developing a new national low vision service, minister Jenni Minto said the Scottish Government is committed to delivering both, but "current financial pressures mean that we are unable to provide a delivery timescale".
 
The Welsh Government celebrates leading the way in eye care. While discussing modernising healthcare, Vaughan Gething said: "Think about what we've done in optometry. Your high-street optometrist can now deal with a whole range of conditions, taking pressure off healthcare services in a hospital on eye care, and that means people get a better experience and faster access to care. I've seen that within my own family."