2023 Annual report

Promoting

AnnuAl report 2023

the profession, protecting the professional

About the Aop

As the membership association for the optical profession, we promote, serve and protect the interests of our members and, through them, the UK’s eye health.

2022 in review

2022 — in review —

by AdAm sAmpson, aoP chief e xecutive and Julie-Anne little, aoP chairman

2022 saw the adoption and rollout of the AOP’s new five-year business strategy.

This work sets out our key ambitions, partly shaped by the technological, economic and social changes which are likely to define the sector’s future.

our Public media focused on the imPact of the cost of living crisis and issues exPerienced by bame oP tometrists at work

We refreshed our policy portfolio, developing a compelling vision for the future of optometry and reviving the organisation’s public engagement capability in order to exert greater influence on politicians and policymakers. As part of The Eyes Have It coalition, we pressed for a new eye care strategy in England; and through our work with Optometry Wales we are helping to shape the new contract between eye care providers and the Welsh Government.

Our public media reach made significant gains, with topics focused on the impact of the cost of living crisis on spectacle affordability, and issues experienced by Black, Asian and minority ethnic optometrists at work.

We continued to play a leading role in negotiating the detail of General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) support payments in England via the Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee, securing a rise of 2% in the GOS fee in England, and to influence the implementation of the Health and Care Act 2022.

We would like to say thank you to the over 3000 members who engaged in our work on the GOC’s call for evidence and consultation on changes to the Opticians Act. This response, along with our work alongside other sector bodies, informed our robust and detailed response to the GOC.

AOP membership grew last year despite the emerging cost of living crisis, demonstrating the value and trust our members place in us and our services. We were delighted to welcome the 2022 cohort of student optometrists in-person at their universities for the first time since the pandemic.

The AOP legal and regulatory team continued to provide an essential service, providing support to over 3900 members in 2022. Our education offering in the first year of the new CPD cycle also grew, delivering 44 online and face-to-face events in locations across the UK.

Adam Sampson AOP Chief Executive

Professor Julie-Anne Little AOP Chairman 2021–2022

You can find out more about our highlights in 2022 on the following pages of our annual report ARROW-CIRCLE-DOWN

Future developments

A key priority for the AOP will be to continue to build pressure for a new strategy for eye health in England, together with supporting progress on the contract negotiations in Wales.

We will consider how to respond to the outcome of the GOC’s consultation on changes to the Opticians Act 1989, particularly focusing on the delegation of refraction and business regulation.

Our recent membership research results will be published and utilised to understand what services our diverse membership needs from the AOP, throughout their career journey. As ever, we remain committed to expanding the benefits we offer to members, including new entrants to the profession and our business and franchise owner members, by adapting to the changing optometric environment.

Professor Julie-Anne Little hands over the AOP Chairmanship to Emma Spofforth in June 2023.

Emma Spofforth

promoting the Profession

Policy and public affairs

The AOP’s new five-year strategy sets out our direction of travel and priorities. For policy and public affairs this covers a range of short and longer term projects and programmes spanning legislative and regulatory change, the future role of optometry within an ever-evolving health and care system, and how we build on and grow our external engagement and influencing activity.

Aligned to this, in 2022 the policy team developed a plan with key deliverables spanning patient focused programmes linked to prevention and reducing health inequalities; greater parity of esteem of optometry within primary care; issues relating to the future of the profession such as IT and systems connectivity; the role and impact of artificial intelligence and new technologies; environmental sustainability; and managing risk.

©UK Parliament/Roger Harris

Consultations in 2022

Our response to the GOC’s call for evidence and consultation on changes to the Opticians Act and associated policies and guidance was an extensive piece of work involving engagement with AOP Council, the Policy Committee and the wider membership, as well as with sector bodies ABDO, FODO and the College of Optometrists.

Members responded through our survey, forums and policy committee. Our survey received 2445 responses, the largest number for any survey conducted by the AOP in recent years. Member feedback was particularly clear on the importance of maintaining appropriate legal restrictions on sight testing, and formulating policy around business regulation.

Other consultations we responded to included:

ٙ The Claire Fuller Stocktake

ٙ MHRA consultation on inequalities in medical device regulation

ٙ Cross-Party Health Select Committee inquiry on ICS accountability

ٙ Equity in medical devices: independent review call

New Managing risk in practice guidance

This new guidance for all members focuses on systems and procedures in practice such as the setting of appropriate sight test times for patients, record keeping, scheduling of appointments, continuity of care, patient follow up, and the importance of taking rest periods. The guidance also covers issues such as the risks around routinely scheduling unstaffed clinics (ghost clinics). This guidance replaces the previous, and now out of date, Safe Practice in Eye Testing Policy from 2016.

Council and Policy Committee

Our Council and Policy Committee informed AOP thinking on a range of themes including:

ٙ The future of regulation

ٙ The role of optometry within integrated and enhanced care systems

ٙ Addressing the clinical backlog in ophthalmology

ٙ Eye care reform in Wales

ٙ Sustainability and climate change

ٙ The national eye care transformation programme

ٙ Children’s eye care

ٙ The role of new technologies in optometry

We also refreshed a number of AOP policy manifesto themes including illegal practice, providing eye care for excluded groups, and driving and vision.

The Eyes Have It partnership

In 2022 the AOP became a partner of the influential The Eyes Have It (TEHI) lobbying collective, which successfully campaigned for the appointment of a national clinical director for eye care. The collective met with the then Minister for Primary Care, Maria Caulfield to discuss ways in which optometry could help address the ophthalmology backlog.

In October, TEHI held Westminster Eye Health Day at Portcullis House, with MPs attending from across the UK. The event was sponsored by Marsha de Cordova MP, with a keynote speech from the Minister of State for Health, Will Quince MP.

we held the first ever eye health event at holyrood, hosted by stuart mcmillan mP, convener of the cross-Party grouP on visual imPairment

TEHI also held the first ever eye health event at Holyrood, hosted by Stuart McMillan MP, convener of the Cross-Party Group on visual impairment, and Optometry Scotland. The partners also supported Marsha de Cordova in her 10 Minute Rule Motion in November, for a national eye care strategy bill.

TEHI was selected as a finalist at two prestigious awards last year: the Pharmaceutical Market Excellence Awards, and the New Statesman Positive Impact Awards.

The AOP was represented at the Conservative Party conference, and invited to present a sector fringe discussion at the NHS Confederation annual conference.

AOP in the media

The AOP’s media profile almost doubled in 2022. We secured pieces in key national targets with regular appearances on BBC, Radio 4, The Times and the Independent alongside opinion editorial in specialist and influential health publications such as Health Service Journal.

We launched our first and long-term campaign supporting equality, diversity and inclusion in the profession, #100%Respect, with a content hub of resources supporting employees and employers.

eye care & the cost of living

Millions making do with poor vision 7 in 10

optometrists have seen a patient in the last three months who needed vision correction but took no action because they couldn’t afford to

The NHS optical voucher should reflect rising costs

Out of date prescriptions

36% are wearing an out of date prescription*

#EyeCareSupportNow

“Pu ing off ” eye care

Two-thirds (62%) of people who wear glasses or contact lenses are “pu ing off going to the opticians” for fear of the cost*

Borrowing

Almost a third (31%) of people borrow friends’ and family’s eye wear to avoid spending money on their own*

Self-repair

19% use broken glasses they have had to self-repair*

Our #EyeCareSupportNow campaign, championed by MP Marsha de Cordova, was devised to help those struggling with the cost of eye care and demanded an increase to the NHS voucher value in England. The campaign secured over 200 pieces of coverage, had a combined audience reach of 823m and an advertising equivalent spend of £97k, which ran across broadcast, print and online outlets including Channel 4, BBC, Sky News and the Independent.

*Research was carried out online among 1002 people in the UK. The fieldwork took place in October 2022 and adhered to Market Research Society guidelines

How the UK's visual standards for driving compare with other European countries

Every year 3000 people are injured or killed by a driver with poor vision

It’s deeply concerning that a 17-year-old who can read a number plate from 20 metres away when they take their driving test, may continue to drive with no further checks for the rest of their life. We have to ask ourselves why the UK system, which relies on self-reporting and a number plate test, continues to operate under a law first introduced in 1937 to the detriment of individuals’ safety.

Adam Sampson Chief Executive Association of Optometrists

10% say they would continue to drive as normal even if they were told their vision, with glasses or contact lenses, was below the legal standard

more

We can make our roads safer Motorists’ poor vision is causing road accidents every year. It’s that simple. We don’t know exactly how many, because accidents can be caused by a combination of factors. There is also no requirement for a driver’s vision to be checked when an accident happens. But a 2012 study estimated that over 2000 drivers in the UK were involved in accidents due to poor vision, causing nearly 3000 casualties.1

What we’re calling for

All drivers should get their sight tested at least every two years, or more often if their recommendsoptometrist

All drivers should be legally required to have their vision checked when they first apply for a licence, and when renewing their driving licence — every 10 years for most people, and every three years for those over 70 The check should involve standardised reliable tests, rather than the inadequate number plate test

Optometrists

Optometrists are eye care professionals who test sight, identify disease and provide treatment for certain eye conditions. They are community- based: there are around 6000 primary care optical practices (commonly known as opticians) across the UK, as well as in hospitals.

It is optometrists who supply eye wear prescriptions. However, optometrists are qualified and equipped to do far more NHS work than they carry out. Many have additional, higher qualifications including the ability to prescribe medications and even those without higher qualifications have an extensive portfolio of skills that are currently underutilised.

Don’t swerve a sight test

The UK law on vision and driving falls below many European countries. After the driving test, the law doesn’t require drivers to have another vision check ever again2 — and the UK’s number plate test isn’t accurate or fit for purpose. The law should require all drivers to have their vision checked every time they renew their driving licence.

Drivers should also have their vision evaluated regularly. Ideally this would happen every two years, because changes to vision can be gradual, and a driver may not realise that their sight has become too poor for driving.

We at the AOP, along with two fifths of UK adults3, believe that the rules should be stricter and the law needs to change.

Ditching inaccurate tests

unreliable

The number plate test isn’t a reliable indicator of whether someone can drive safely because it does not check all the relevant aspects of visual function. Someone may pass the current driving standard without having good enough vision to drive safely. The solution is to replace the number plate test with a modern and reliable evaluation process.

Our annual Don’t swerve a sight test campaign also continued to gain traction with nationals such as the Express, Sun and Daily Star. Our open letter from AOP Chief Executive, Adam Sampson generated a response from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). The campaign continues to support our stakeholder engagement with the DVLA, local police forces and road-safety charities on the issue of the UK’s vision and driving laws which fall below many other European standards.

43 broadcast interviews with our experts

*Analytics generated by Vuelio media monitoring – calculated on media outlet audience and readership

figures.

Additional highlights include AOP experts discussing the impact of COVID-19 on eye health and the future of cornea transplantation on Radio 4’s In Touch programme.

serving our members

Events and webinars

We reintroduced face-to-face education events and provided members with a mixture of both online and in-person CPD sessions in the first year of the GOC’s new CPD cycle.

ARROW-CIRCLE-UP 100% Optical 2022

Satisfaction with our events and webinars remained high, with 97% rating them as excellent or good.

32 online events

12 in-person events

12,845 event attendees

Three free OT guides for members

For the practice team

CIRCLE-ARROW-RIGHT Practice team guide: Unlocking potential – Supporting each other to achieve practice success

CIRCLE-ARROW-RIGHT Practice team guide: The perfect fit – How each member of the team can contribute to practice success

A bound-in offering that ran twice in 2022. The eight-page supplements were produced in partnership with Johnson & Johnson Vision and designed to support the whole team to achieve success in practice.

For locums

CIRCLE-ARROW-RIGHT Locum optometrist guide: The locum briefing

Produced in partnership with Johnson & Johnson Vision, the essential guide to thriving as a locum optometrist today was sent to over 5000 members.

The OT guides can be read online here.

The AOP Peer Support Line

Undergraduate optometry students

We delivered first-year presentations, as well as our legal lecture to second and third year students, at all UK universities offering an optometry degree.

We updated our online guidance for students, with a refreshed University survival guide and new Regulation and the law guidance.

Our AOP student representatives helped us host a student takeover on the AOP’s Instagram page, sharing their tips for studying optometry and getting the most out of university.

proteCting our members

In 2022 the legal and regulatory department dealt with a wide range of member enquiries, and saw an increase in members facing GOC investigations and redundancy; reflecting post-pandemic pressures felt across the sector.

The team continued to work to protect the interests of members under GOC investigation, successfully challenging the GOC on several areas including its processes and procedures, and on an error made with the date for removal from the register given to members who had failed to meet their CPD requirements.

We assisted a significantly increased number of locum members needing support with unpaid fees, in some cases securing immediate payment of invoices. There was also an increase in members seeking our advice during redundancy processes from large multiples – some of which we successfully challenged by raising legitimate discrimination issues.

The team produced online guidance and FAQs for pre-registration optometrists covering exams, qualification, supervision and employment law.

ٙ Our employment law team delivered a CPD webinar on the theme of equality, diversity and inclusion

ٙ Our clinical negligence team produced new guidance designed to help members understand what to do if a patient makes a complaint or instructs solicitors to investigate a potential clinical negligence claim

ٙ Two new anonymous case studies were added to our online library, designed to demonstrate the ways we support members and offer key learnings:

ݺ Support for a member diagnosed with a neurological condition

ݺ Advice for a pre-reg under investigation for falsifying a module 2 certificate

membership in 2022

The post-covid trends from 2021 continued in 2022, with growth in our qualified membership of 2.7% and a high retention rate of over 96% during our renewal period.

We value members at all stages of their career including those just starting out in their studies and were pleased to welcome 795 new undergraduate students into membership in September.

Our membership saw 578 newly-qualified optometrists join or move onto the newlyqualified grade during the year, and our parental leave grade continues to be highly valued by members, with 282 members on the grade in December 2022.

● 68% Optometrists

● 18% Students

● 12% Lifetime/ Retired

● 1% Dispensing opticians

● 0.5% Overseas

● 0.5% Lay practice owners

MEMBERSHIP IN 2022

the boArd

Our Board sets the strategic direction of the AOP, ensuring strong governance and management of the organisation.

Professor Julie-Anne Little Chairman

Michael George Past Chairman

Rachel Hiscox

Elected by AOP Council

Michael Fegan Lay member

Copies of the full annual financial statements, the auditor's report and the directors’ report are available for members to download from our website.

Paul O’Connor Lay member Dharmesh Patel Elected by AOP Council

Fatima Nawaz Elected by AOP Council

Gordon Ilett Appointed optometrist member

Emma Spofforth Elected by AOP Council

Francesca Marchetti Elected by AOP Council

Promoting the profession, protecting the professional