News & Views

The NHS Long Term Plan set out NHS England and NHS Improvement’s ambition to transform outpatient appointments.

The College of Optometrists and The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) have developed a joint vision for the two professions to continue to work together to support the delivery of safe and sustainable eye care services in England.

The Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI) is the key data source for the preventable sight loss indicator.

With the pandemic continuing to affect the way primary and secondary eye care services are provided for patients in England, The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) and The College of Optometrists have developed a joint vision to support our workforce and the commissioning of safe and sustainable eye care services that meet the needs of all patients, improving patient care and outcomes during and beyond the pandemic.

We continue to work in uncertain times and the threat of a ‘second wave’ of the pandemic remains a possibility. We also know that this is likely to be compounded by the winter pressures placed on the system. We all have to be vigilant, be prepared and support our services to the best of our capabilities.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has launched its national training survey.

Remote consultations have been given additional impetus by the COVID-19 emergency and are almost certainly one of the changes in practice that is here to stay. The advantages for the patient in terms of access are obvious, and video meeting platforms are now part of our daily lives.

The FRCOphth Part 2 Oral examination is changing due to personal contact and social distancing measures required to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the summer, the Surgical Skills Faculty will be hosting a series of monthly webinars focusing on how to use a variety of simulation techniques to acquire and maintain surgical skills during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NHSE/I and the Academy recognise the opportunity for doctors who have joined the GMC emergency registration (having recently relinquished registration) to provide further support to the health service.