05 July 2024

FODO member update - 5 July

This week:

• Primary eye care responds to General Election result
• Get involved and shape eye care's future
• SOC - 17 November 2024
• Wales - IP sponsorship 
• GOC reflective exercise form now live
• At a glance
• Policy news

Primary eye care responds to General Election result

• FODO has called on the new government to end avoidable sight loss due to delays in hospital care. It asks the government to rebalance NHS investment to provide more care in cost-effective primary eye care settings. Read more.
• Alistair Bridge, ABDO CEO, said: "Primary eye care has the workforce, expertise and capacity to help the NHS prevent avoidable sight loss due to delays in care. ABDO will work with the government and sector partners to make change happen."
• The AOP has also reiterated sector-wide messaging to provide more care out of hospital and closer to home. Read more.

Get involved and shape eye care's future

In January, FODO welcomed the then Labour shadow health team's announcement that it was committed to working with all sector bodies to do more in primary eye care settings.

Since that communication, Labour has repeated this commitment on multiple occasions. Last week, Wes Streeting, now the new health and social care secretary, said that "high street opticians have the kit and staff to do basic checks and scans. Labour will partner with them to get patients the treatment they need".

Harjit Sandhu, managing director at FODO, said: "In June, we invited members to discuss the future of enhanced eye care services. Take part now to have your say and help shape the future of eye care in England."

SOC - 17 November 2024

This year's Scottish Optical Conference (SOC) will happen on 17 November in Glasgow and will offer 45 CPD points. Learn more and book your place.

Wales - IP sponsorship

Health Education and Improvement Wales is offering sponsorship for places on Independent Prescribing (IP) starting in September 2024. Learn more and apply by 11.59pm on 9 July.  

GOC reflective exercise form now live

Fully qualified GOC registrants can now complete and submit their mandatory reflective exercise using an online form on MyCPD. You must complete the process by the CPD cycle's end on 31 December 2024. Please check your email for more detailed guidance from the GOC. If you have questions about the reflective exercise, please email [email protected]. 

At a glance

• Optician reports that people are delaying eye care due to the cost-of-living crisis.
• Wales has published ophthalmology waiting time data for May. 49.2% of R1-assessed patient pathways were waiting within their target date. Read more.
• Gloucestershire ICB celebrates IT connectivity success. Read more.
• Early reports show that weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic might increase the risk of anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. Read more.
• Roche-funded partnership repeats call for a national eye health plan under the new government. Read more.
• Primary Eyecare Services shares its reflections on the general election and future. Read more.

Policy news

Wes Streeting told the HSJ last week that he has confidence in NHS CEO Amanda Pritchard. In a wide-ranging exclusive, he also said he was "one hundred per cent" committed to investing more in primary and community care services.

NHS Providers has joined calls for the government to shift care closer to home, acknowledging that more needs to be done to make this happen. It shares King's Fund research that shows hospital trusts have seen 27% funding growth since 2016/17 compared to just 14% for community trusts despite ambitions to shift care out of hospitals.

The HSJ has an exclusive on NHS cataract surgery. It reports that providers have warned a cut to cataract tariffs could destabilise services.