6 minute read

An independent view

Next Article
Product profile

Product profile

20 British Contact Lens Association

The Contact Lens Evidence-based Academic Reports (CLEAR) will be published in next month’s issue of Contact Lens & Anterior Eye – the journal of the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) – and will feature 10 overview papers compiled by a panel of internationally renowned experts. BCLA members will receive a copy of the report as part of their member benefits. Non-members can either join the BCLA ahead of the report publication or subscribe to CLAE via the Elsevier site.

CLEAR executive chair, Professor James Wolffsohn, said: “Putting together these reports has been an amazing journey of discovery, bringing together gems of evidence to inform clinical practice, identifying areas where further research is needed, and determining where there are opportunities for new innovations from industry. The collaboration between experts in the field of contact lenses and the anterior eye has been inspiring and productive, despite the enforced ‘virtual’ nature of the interactions.”

Professor James Wolffsohn

21 General Optical Council

The General Optical Council (GOC) has launched a consultation on new draft Speaking Up guidance for registrants, to support registrants to speak up about concerns they have – particularly those affecting patient and public safety. The consultation, which seeks feedback on the clarity and impacts of the guidance, was developed following learnings from recent healthcare inquiries into issues where staff’s concerns were not appropriately actioned, such as the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry.

Marcus Dye, GOC acting director of strategy, said: “Within our standards, registrants have a duty to speak up about concerns they have when patients and the public might be at risk. We know this can be a difficult thing for individuals to do, and even more so if businesses are unaware of their responsibility to make the process simple and to act on concerns raised.

“We’ve split the guidance into two parts, one for individuals and one for businesses, to be as clear as possible on our expectations. Whether you’re an individual or a business, we encourage all registrants to read both parts. As always, we expect registrants to use their professional judgement when applying the guidance, however, we hope that this new guidance will give them the confidence to speak up when they need to in order to protect the public.” Respond to the consultation via the GOC Consultation Hub by 10 March.

AN INDEPENDENT VIEW

Between a rock and a hard place

The current lockdown has thrown up yet more controversy and angst in the optical profession. At the core, is a divergence of view over whether practices should be providing essential clinical eyecare services only, or should also be able to offer more routine refraction and dispensing of eyewear. The majority (but not all) of AIO members favour the former, whilst unsurprisingly the multiples strongly favour the latter. The problem is that the behind the current Covid-19 dictated environment, and what seems an apparently stark and simple choice, there is a rather more complex dynamic. Why complex? Well optical bodies through the Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee (OFNC) have all grasped the nettle during the Covid-19 pandemic to get the message across to government and NHS England (Scotland and Wales are already more enlightened) that optometrists provide an essential clinical service that is currently underutilised by an NHS service that is facing (and will continue to face for quite some time) huge pressures. This message was core to the AIO Post-Covid Manifesto released last year, and there is some evidence that it is starting to get across. One element of this messaging is to avoid the use of the word ‘routine’ in exchanges with the government and NHS, and to fundamentally gain an understanding that the current GOS regime needs reform. That the whole profession is on a journey that will become increasingly clinical in its focus is indisputable. Volume optical outlets on the High Street, which rely on conversion rates and selling ‘cheap’ specs, are under increasing pressure from online suppliers. Indeed, a number of them are now online suppliers themselves. So, bringing this back to the current lockdown, what is the answer? Whilst the AIO, on behalf of the majority of its members, might advocate clear guidance from the government/NHS that optical practices should only be providing essential eyecare services in the current lockdown, it is a voice on its own. As a result, practices must make their own choice in terms of the level of service they will provide in the current environment. In a recent meeting of the optical bodies, there was acceptance that practitioners who decide to close their doors to all but essential (even emergency) services have absolutely the right to do so, and should be respected for doing so. When we come out of the Covid-19 pandemic, we can only hope and pray that the-long term outcome for optometry is positive, and that the opportunity to move the profession forward has not been wasted.

Patient loyalty builds practice success.

A portfolio of contact lenses and lens care solutions from a world-leading manufacturer, designed to help your practice retain more patients and improve business revenue. NEW and exclusive* to National Eyecare Group members.

Patient loyalty builds practice success.

Keep patients and business coming back with your mediflex® portfolio of contact lenses and lens care solutions – NEW and exclusive* to National Eyecare Group members.

CooperVision is pleased to announce it’s partnership with National Eyecare Group (NEG) to offer you, its members, an exclusive brand portfolio of contact lenses and lens care products – mediflex.® Our research shows that private label contact lens patients are more loyal to their optician. Private label contact lenses can help drive spectacle sales and can generate greater income for your practice. Private label contact lens products are typically subject to minimum order quantities and therefore may be out-ofreach for many small-to-medium sized practices. Through the collective buying power of NEG, the mediflex® brand is now available exclusively to NEG members: designed to act just like a private label. Behind each mediflex® label is a trusted CooperVision product, giving you the reassurance of a world-leading manufacturer. What’s more, mediflex® products are available at the same price as the CooperVision-branded equivalent.

Launching mediflex® in your practice couldn’t be easier - CooperVision have worked with NEG to create a comprehensive welcome pack that includes a How-To Guide, in-practice tools, in-store promotional material, website and social media assets and patient communications; all designed to help you engage with and retain more patients, building long-term practice success.

An exclusive house brand is a fantastic and unique opportunity for NEG members. I hope you seize the moment to protect your practice, build patient loyalty and strengthen your contact lens business so you can enjoy greater long-term profit. Doug Bairner Country Manager, UK & Ireland, CooperVision

Join one of our 30 minute introductory webinars throughout February – check the NEG website for details or contact your CooperVision Business Development Manager today.

Your exclusive mediflex® portfolio is designed to help your practice retain more patients and improve business revenue.

New and exclusive to NEG members, the mediflex® portfolio of contact lenses and lens care products includes: ■ Daily disposables ■ Monthly disposables ■ Lens care solutions. Contact your CooperVision Business Development Manager today.

*Exclusive within the UK&I market. mediflex® is only available to NEG members.

This article is from: