Read the latest RCOphth news updates and guidance here.
Our new organisational strategy launched on 1 January. Covering the period from 2024 to 2026, it sets out our commitment to championing the eye health specialty and improving patient care.
Despite important progress over the last two years, cataract surgery training opportunities in independent sector providers remain limited and in some areas – including the South West of England and London – there is no training at all in the independent sector, insights from our Ophthalmologists in Training Group (OTG) indicate.
Our media coverage in November included mentions in the Financial Times and Medscape online news. Our active engagement with the media reflects our commitment to raising awareness about critical issues, advocating for reform, and increasing the profile of ophthalmology.
January saw the launch of the Differential Attainment report, with us addressing systemic disparities in professional outcomes. This was the start of our pledge to foster diversity and inclusion across the College. In February, the first NOD age-related macular degeneration (AMD) audit highlighted the importance of prompt AMD treatment, encouraging participation for quality assurance.
As part of our commitment to advocate for the ophthalmology workforce and foster effective primary and secondary eyecare integration, we co-hosted the annual Parliamentary event, Westminster Eye Health Day, on 11 December. The event, held in collaboration with The Eyes Have It and hosted by Marsha de Cordova MP, aimed to highlight the challenges in eye care services to policymakers and elevate eye care on the political agenda.
Congratulations to Melanie Hingorani former trustee and honorary secretary, who has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the College of Optometrists, one of only two presented this year.
Imagine that the entire population of Gloucestershire was waiting for an ophthalmology appointment. And then imagine the outcome if those appointments never happened. Not just for the Gloucestershire people themselves, who might lose their sight or have to live in extreme discomfort or distress. But for the NHS and other healthcare providers facing even greater and more crucial demand, and the local public service providers, who would have to support them and their additional needs, and for the myriad other people, services and organisations involved. It would be catastrophic.
Eye Journal editor in chief Sobha Sivaprasad will be honoured in a forthcoming Springer Nature event entitled ‘Celebrating Editorial Impact’. Sobha’s initiatives grew the journal from publishing around 300 articles a year to one publishing more than 500, and led to the launch of six new topical collections and prioritisation of the values of EDI.
College President Ben Burton has contacted the new Secretary of State for Health, Victoria Atkins MP, to congratulate her on her recent appointment and to highlight our priorities for UK ophthalmology services.
The UKHSA is investigating a novel cluster of Burkholderia cenocepacia involving 20 cases across the UK. Preliminary epidemiological and microbiological investigations have identified a potential association with carbomer containing lubricating eye gel. Investigations into the link between the cluster and carbomer eye gels are ongoing, and these findings are not conclusive at this stage.
