28 February 2025

FODO member update – 28 February

This week:

• Reminder FODO newsletters
• GOC business registrant survey
• College publishes updated clinical governance guidance
• Update: NHS Standard Contract and Payment Scheme consultations
• NHS launches - Solving Together
• Update for members that provide audiology services
• At a glance
• Policy updates

Reminder FODO newsletters

The next newsletter will be on 21 March (catch up on why). 

GOC business registrant survey

The GOC is keen for all business registrants to complete its survey. It said the survey will "help us to monitor how trends develop and change over time, particularly with a view to how regulation may need to adapt to support businesses to meet the needs of patients in a changing landscape". 

College publishes updated clinical governance guidance

The College of Optometrists has launched its updated clinical governance guidance. It guides primary eye care optometry on maintaining and enhancing standards of patient care. The guidance includes four main themes - safety culture and systems, insight, involvement, and improvement. The College notes that this marks a shift from traditional compliance-focused guidance to a system that promotes innovation, learning, and collaboration.
 
Daniel Hardiman-McCartney MBE FCOptom, lead clinical adviser at The College of Optometrists, said: "I encourage all optometrists to read and familiarise themselves with our updated clinical governance guidance as soon as possible. By embracing the principles of the updated guidance, optometrists can all play their part in collectively delivering enhanced standards of patient care. Our revised and updated clinical governance guideline is designed to ensure that optometry remains at the forefront of patient-centred, high-quality primary healthcare."
 
The College said the new guidance supports each UK nation's Quality in Optometry toolkit and employers' internal clinical governance standard operating procedures, providing a high-level overview of current culture and good practice.
 
Access Clinical governance in optometric practice guidance - College of Optometrists. 

Update: NHS Standard Contract and Payment Scheme consultations

As previously advised, we have now responded to the NHS Standard Contract and NHS Payment Scheme (NHSPS) consultations. Our responses raise concerns about NHS proposals to rush through payment reforms that would risk derailing the government's three big shifts for the NHS. We are working with various stakeholders to raise the alarm about draft NHSPS proposals. For a more detailed analysis, read our response to the NHSPS consultation and NHS Standard consultation. 

NHS launches - Solving Together

NHS England is again exploring how it might transform eye care services and needs your input. Solving Together is a new crowdsourcing conversation system on FutureNHS. Everyone involved in eye care - patients, carers, professionals, and partners - can share ideas to improve services via the platform. To share your ideas, highlight barriers to change, and propose new ideas, ask to join by following this link.

Update for members that provide audiology services

The NCHA, BAA, BSA and BSHAA have published a short guidance note on OTC hearing aids. This follows the NCHA's initial response to the Department of Health and Social Care announcement last month on OTC hearing aids.  

At a glance

• AI-powered eye surgery hopes to improve post-cat-op outcomes. Read more.
• BBC reports on a new procedure to help with keratoconus.
• Royal College of Ophthalmologists publishes new clinical guideline on idiopathic full-thickness macular holes.

Policy updates

GPs in England have agreed in principle to a new contract
DHSC states the new contract will see an extra £889 million invested in general practices each year, taking the total spend on GP contracts to £13.2 billion in 2025/26.
 
The BMA says: "The contract, which includes an overall funding uplift of £969m for the 2025/26 contract will be accepted provided the government commits to a full renegotiation of the new national contract, beginning within this Parliament."  The BMA then clarifies there will be £889 million in additional core contract funding and £80 million for the use of e-RS advice and guidance.
 
Read the BMA statement.
Read the DHSC statement.
 
Power shifts - NHS England
This week, Amanda Pritchard announced she would stand down as NHS England chief executive in April. The Guardian reports that health secretary Wes Streeting said he had "so much respect and time for" and "loved working with" the current CEO. It also reported that he thinks Jim Mackey, the interim NHS England chief executive, is "a brilliant, reforming health leader who will help lead the NHS into this exciting new era". Meanwhile, The Week asks, "Who is running the NHS?"
 
Another plan...
Longstanding FODO members will experience déjà vu when hearing about another NHS plan focusing on prevention and making change happen in the NHS. If you are new to health policy, why not catch up on recent attempts to reform the NHS in England?