01 November 2024

FODO member update - 1 November

This week:

• Help shape our response to the Change NHS discussion
• UHI optometry qualification earns full approval
• NHS primary eye care in Scotland accepts 6% uplift
• Eyes Have It - back in Westminster 
• At a glance
• Budget overview
• Health policy

Help shape our response to the Change NHS discussion

Thank you to members who have contacted us about FODO's response to the NHS 10 year plan following our update last week. We offer various ways to help shape our response, as some members prefer to email their feedback or discuss via Teams.

You can complete this survey by 18 November or

Email your priorities to [email protected] or

Organise a catch-up with the policy team via Teams. Please email [email protected] to choose this option.

UHI optometry qualification earns full approval

The GOC has fully approved the University of Highlands and Islands (UHI) BSc (Hons) Optometry qualification against requirements in place when the course was launched. UHI will adapt the qualification to meet the updated education and training requirements. 

Alison MacPherson, programme lead at UHI, said the university was "delighted to have achieved this significant milestone" and that being "the second provider of Optometry undergraduate education in Scotland is a real privilege."  She also thanked the stakeholders that had made it possible.

Alan Tinger, FODO educational charity trustee, said: "The charity is proud to have supported this programme to become the second optometry programme in Scotland, and wishes UHI ongoing success in training the next generation of optometrists in Scotland."

NHS primary eye care in Scotland accepts 6% uplift

Optometry Scotland (OS) has accepted the government's 6% uplift in fees. According to Scottish Business News, it has "now been confirmed that the uplift will be effective from 1 December 2024 and all exams undertaken from this date will be paid at the new rate (including domiciliary visiting fees)".

Eilidh Thomson, chair of OS, told business news that OS members "were overwhelmingly in favour of accepting the proposed fee increase, and feel encouraged by the Scottish Government's reiterated commitment to supporting community health services, despite notable financial constraints".  

Eyes Have It - back in Westminster

The Eyes Have It lobby group funded by Roche Products Ltd ran its second Westminster Eye Health Day on 29 October. Marsha De Cordova MP raised awareness about the scale and impacts of sight loss on individuals and the economy. The event also repeated calls for a national eye care plan, which the previous government had not supported. 

At a glance

• Drivers face roadside eye checks as nights draw in, reports BBC.
• Boots Opticians will offer Optomap. Read more.
• Apple shares how it developed a new hearing experience, helping it launch a new hearing aid feature in AirPods.
• LOCSU is recruiting a new board member. Read more and share the opportunity with our networks.
• LOCSU has published its 2023-24 annual review, covering the organisation's transformation programme and its commitment to supporting LOCs.
• Royal College of Ophthalmologists has published its views on the government's 10 Year NHS consultation and issued statistics for its members to consider when they take part. Read more.
• Royal College has also launched a new course accreditation scheme and confirmed it has appointed Winfried Amoaku editor-in-chief of Eye Open, its new scientific journal.
• College of Optometrists has welcomed the budget news that the government will invest more in the NHS.
• Australian golfer Jeffrey Guan loses sight in one eye after accident. Read more.
• The SightCare conference and exhibition will take place on 26 and 27 January 2025 in Telford. For more information visit www.sightcare.co.uk.

Budget overview

Key takeaways from this year's autumn budget:

Employers NI will increase by 1.2% from 13.8% to 15% from April 2025 and the threshold that firms start paying NI on workers' earnings will drop from £9,100 to £5,000. Employment allowance will increase from £5,000 to £10,500.

From 2026-27, permanently lower tax rates will be introduced for retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties.

Confirms corporation tax at 25% and full expensing will be maintained.

The Small Business Tax multiplier will be frozen next year.

A new single adult wage rate will be phased in over time by raising the national minimum wage for 18 to 20-year-olds by 16.3% to £10 per hour. The national living wage will increase by 6.7% to £12.21 an hour.

The government has prioritised the NHS in Phase 1 of the Spending Review. So, resource spending for the Department of Health and Social Care will increase by £22.6 billion from 2023-24 to 2025-26, providing the NHS with a two-year average real terms growth rate of 4.0%. The government also made repeated manifesto commitments about more appointments and reiterated that it will publish its 10-year plan for the NHS in spring.

The IFS provides a detailed technical breakdown of the budget. 

Health policy

The Health Foundation analyses Labour's impact on health and care policy 100 days on. It notes the government has made clear that the NHS is in 'critical condition' and needs to 'reform or die'. Other than the Darzi review, which confirmed the diagnosis, the solutions to-date have been limited to three big shifts: analogue to digital, hospital to communities, and sickness to prevention. We now await the 10 Year Plan in spring 2025.

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists shares its latest policy update, covering engagement in Northern Ireland and Wales, attending the latest Roche Product Ltd-funded Eyes Have It event in Westminster, and its engagement on the NHS 10 Year Plan consultation. It also warns that demand for eye care in Wales is expected to increase by over 40% over the next two decades, while supporting plans for ophthalmology reforms in Wales.