Read the latest RCOphth news updates and guidance here.
On 22 September, the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Dr Therese Coffey, set out the Government’s plan to improve patient experience of the NHS in England, outlining a range of measures relating to backlogs, workforce challenges, and digitisation of the NHS. RCOphth Policy Advisor David Murray summarises the key implications for NHS ophthalmology services.
Members of the College are invited to submit nominations for Honorary Fellowships for 2023. The award of Honorary Fellow is the highest accolade that the College can bestow. It recognises those who have made a significant contribution to the field of ophthalmology.
We are truly saddened at the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
The government has announced that over 50 new surgical hubs will open across England to help alleviate Covid backlogs and offer quicker patient access to vital procedures. The new hubs will focus mainly on providing high-volume low, complexity surgery, including ophthalmology.
Applications for the Sight Research UK Translational Research Award open on the 1st September 2022. The purpose of the Translational Research Award is to accelerate the translation of scientific findings to the early stages of development of new therapies and diagnostics for sight-threatening conditions.
Following the national procurement for medical retinal vascular medicines, NHS England has published an operational note on Commissioning recommendations. This followed discussions with various stakeholders, including members of The Royal College of Ophthalmologists.
NHS England has recently published a suite of decision support tools. The tools cover varying conditions and include Making a decision about cataracts, Making a decision about open-angle glaucoma and Making a decision about wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), along with guidance on how to use them and evaluating the impact.
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists has launched the election website for the next president of the RCOphth. Members can view information and governance of the election process.
In 2019/20, there were 9 million outpatient attendances for all five vision treatment specialties1. As the leading outpatient speciality in the NHS, the appointment of Louisa Wickham to the post of National Clinical Director (NCD) for Eye Care is long overdue and welcomed.
RCOphth has published an analysis highlighting key trends in cataract surgery in England. This includes changes in the number of procedures performed in each region by NHS and independent sector providers.
