16 August 2024

FODO member update - 16 August

This week:

• First WGOS dataset
• New guideline on managing diabetic retinopathy
• BCLA Fellowship submissions now open for 2025
• GOC seeks nine new Committee members
• At a glance
• Policy news

First WGOS dataset

The Welsh Government has published eye care statistics for April 2023 to March 2024 - the first official statistics to cover new Welsh GOS contract activity.
Highlights:

• 317 practices and 42 domiciliary providers delivered WGOS
• 941 optometrists (28.6 per 100,000 population) and 148 FTE ophthalmologists (4.5 per 100,000 population)
• 841,000 practice-based sight tests and 29,000 domiciliary sight tests
• 243,000 WGOS2 examinations, an increase of 15.8% on EHEW in 2022-23. Approximately 60% were for band 1, 25% for band 2 and 15% for band 3. More detailed data on WGOS2 provides a further breakdown of activity, including that primary care delivered 63,573 visits for eye pain/discomfort, 39,070 for red eye and 21,964 for an acute vision problem
• 8,400 low vision assessments, an increase of 3.7% since 2022-23, more than 67% for people aged 80 and older
• 1,574 new CVIs issued.

Hospital eye service (HES) data shows that GP referrals have reduced. This is most likely due to more people seeing their optometrist for eye health concerns. Referrals to HES reached 122,000 referrals in 2023-24.

Access WG eye care statistics

New guideline on managing diabetic retinopathy

NICE has published the Diabetic retinopathy: management and monitoring guideline. The new guideline covers managing and monitoring diabetic retinopathy in people under the care of HES.

The College of Optometrists led analysis and feedback on the draft NICE guideline on the sector's behalf. It called on NICE to ensure the guideline advised that patients should continue to have regular eye examinations with primary care optometrists to meet their broader eye care needs. The NICE committee accepted this recommendation, with the new guideline stating:

• "People who are discharged to the screening programme are expected to attend both eye screening appointments and regular appointments with primary care optometrists. This will help identify if further treatment is needed in the future and identify other eye diseases that are not covered by the eye screening programme."

The FODO policy team thanks the College for leading the analysis of the large volume of papers in the consultation on the sector's behalf. 

BCLA Fellowship submissions now open for 2025

Submissions for the BCLA Fellowship are now open. The BCLA will present the fellowships at its Clinical Conference and Exhibition in Birmingham next June. The deadline for submission is 29 November 2024. Learn more. 

GOC seeks nine new Committee members

The GOC is looking to appoint nine new Committee members:   

• Education Committee: one dispensing optician and two optometrists  

• Registration Committee: two dispensing opticians and one optometrist  

• Standards Committee: one dispensing optician and two optometrists  

These part-time roles involve a commitment of two to three days a year, including time spent preparing for meetings. The GOC will pay a daily fee of £319. Meetings usually happen via Microsoft Teams but may be held at the GOC office at 10 Old Bailey, London EC4M 7NG or other suitable venues. 

The deadline to apply is 8 September 2024. Learn more and apply. 

At a glance

• Optometry Scotland (OS) publishes its summer news and updates, covering MSP practice visits and other work OS is undertaking on the sector's behalf
• Pharma company Santen launches new glaucoma treatment. Learn more.

Policy news

ONS reports inflation rose to 2.2% in July, showing it remains above the 1.68% GOS fee increase the NHS imposed on primary eye care based on forecast inflation at the time, which the OFNC called "derisory" in March this year.

The Welsh Government has published a written statement on The Health Services (Provider Selection Regime) (Wales) Regulations 2024. The statement confirms that primary eye care services in Wales, as with the Provider Selection Regime (PSR) in England, will be in the regime's scope. Also, as in England, the plan is to allow WGOS contacts to run on a continuous basis until terminated and avoid the need for relevant authorities to rearrange them routinely. Annex C of the draft statutory guidance will eventually include more detail on the PSR (at this stage, it is 'pending'). The FODO policy team will continue to monitor and work with Optometry Wales.

The APPG on Eye Health and Visual Impairment will launch a new report on employer attitudes and blind and partially sighted people. The event will occur at 12-4pm on 14 October at Atlee Suite, Portcullis House, Houses of Parliament, SW1A 2LW.