Annual Report 2015-2016
Professional Excellence in Eye Health The College is the professional body for optometry. It qualifies the profession and delivers the guidance and development to ensure optometrists provide the best possible care. We promote excellence through the College’s affixes, by building the evidence base for optometry, and raising awareness of the profession with the public, commissioners, and health care professionals.
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Annual Report 2015-2016
New challenges ahead Dr Mary-Ann Sherratt FCOptom President My first year as President of the College has been busy, challenging and very rewarding. My highlights have all involved people – meeting our members, talking to students and trainees, strengthening relationships with the optical sector and those in the wider eye health community, and working to represent the profession to politicians and the public.
to follow quite different paths in relation to health care systems but everywhere in the UK, eye health services and the demands on them are experiencing similar pressures. The public needs to have trust in our profession to deliver eye care services, and it is up to us to show that optometry can deliver more quality eye care within the community.
We have seen some significant advances for optometry across the UK, for example, more optometrists are now providing Minor Eye Conditions Services (MECS) than ever before in England, and more UK optometrists have achieved higher qualifications than ever before, with the skills and abilities of optometrists at all levels recognised by others as being integral to eye care services. Our relationship with government departments is also going from strength to strength. Community services across the devolved nations are growing in scope, with the profession becoming more embedded in primary care, and in England specifically, the Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning - of which the College is a founding partner - is growing in stature and reputation, and is bridging the gap between NHS England and the eye sector, to the benefit of both practitioner and patient.
Although this report looks back on what the College has achieved, the Council, the Board and I are already looking forward to the years ahead, as it is equally important to look at what the future holds. Findings from the Foresight report and the College’s Optical Workforce Survey (OWS) - both published in 2016 - highlighted how advances in technology, the changing demographics of the profession, and the ageing population could all come together to have a profound effect on how eye care is delivered in the future. It is clear that we need to prepare optometrists at all stages for these changes, and we have already started this process.
However, much still needs to be done. The UK optical sector continues to face major challenges, and we have to find new ways of working to continue to provide quality eye care for more people with less resource. The four home nations have all chosen
As President of the College – but also as a clinician – I strongly believe that optometrists are well positioned and ready to play an even wider role in transforming frontline health delivery. The College will continue to ensure the profession is heard at the highest levels, and is at the heart of all relevant policy discussions. I look forward to working with you all over the coming year. Dr Mary-Ann Sherratt 3
The home of optometry Ian Humphreys Chief Executive It is with great pleasure that I introduce a second annual report as Chief Executive of the College, to highlight our work for 2015-16. The College is the home of optometry in the UK. Through our members, we play a vital role in qualifying and educating the profession, offering guidance to professionals, while influencing policy makers, building the scientific evidence-base, and improving standards. Over the last year, we have continued in our efforts to increase public trust and confidence in the profession, and to improve understanding of the role of the optometrist. We do this in a number of ways, such as lending our voice to topical issues in the media, and through our consumer website lookafteryoureyes.org, which has received over 1.4 million page views this year alone. This has been especially important following the sentencing of Honey Rose – the first UK optometrist to be convicted of gross negligence manslaughter. This is a tragic case, and we responded to many national and local media headlines in order to maintain confidence in the profession and reinforce the important role optometrists play
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in safeguarding the nation’s eye health. We also produced a range of resources to help our members answer patient questions relating to the case, and develop their knowledge of papilloedema, visual fields assessment, and ophthalmoscopy. Much of our published materials, advice and guidance such as this is underpinned by our research work. This helps us to understand many issues in greater depth that will make a difference to day to day practise either now or in the future. For example, we continued to fund work on childhood refractive error, we have just completed a major government funded project on visual impairment and dementia and how this should be managed in practice, and funded a study which found that community schemes are able to provide cataract, glaucoma and primary eye care services to patients safely and effectively.
“We have continued in our efforts to increase public trust and confidence in the profession.”
We are already looking ahead to see how we can ensure the College stays relevant tomembers and reflects the changing demands of evolving practice. 2017 has already seen the launch of our new website, our refreshed brand and logo, and new strap line – ‘Professional Excellence in Eye Health’. Amongst these changes, one thing is certain that we will continue to work hard to maintain the profile and credibility of the profession, and College membership, displayed through MCOptom/ FCOptom lapel badges, patient leaflets and new window stickers, clearly indicates this.
Many of our new initiatives are in place because of feedback provided by our members – most notably by our reference groups which represent key member groups such as hospital optometrists, newly-qualified members, students and locums, and by those who completed last year’s member survey. I hope these changes demonstrate that we are changing and listening to our members. Membership makes all of this work possible, and I thank all our members for their support. Ian Humphreys
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Our year at a glance
29%
increase in queries for our Clinical Advisers
17 5,087 checkouts of our library’s e-books and e-journals
Scholarships and Small Grants awarded to support the educators and researchers of the future
621
mentions of the College in regional, trade, national and international print and broadcast media, helping raise the profile of the profession and the role of the optometrist
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25 free regional CET events
147 MECS practitioners accredited
3,218 work-based assessments carried out
Annual Report 2015-2016
13,264
2,254
interactive CET points awarded at our events
delegates welcomed at our events and conferences
ÂŁ252,819
184,000
2 million
of Research Scholarships awarded, to ensure the next generation of breakthroughs are made
page views of our Guidance for professional practice microsite
page views of the College’s website
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1.4 million 0% page views of our consumer website, lookafteryoureyes.org
increase in member fees!
1.2 million patient leaflets distributed
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new higher qualifications accredited
responses to public consultations relating to eye health and the profession
226
optometrists awarded a College accredited higher qualification
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2015-2016: Our achievements This report highlights the work we carried out, successes achieved, and challenges met during the membership year from 1 October 2015 to 30 September 2016. Here, the College’s senior management team reveal our achievements from the last year.
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Education: at the heart of the College Jacqueline Martin Director of Education “The College’s education team supports members from their time at university, through the Scheme for Registration, the structured and supported route from student to professional optometrist, and onto the highest levels of professional achievement. We are here to support members to be the best professionals that they can be. “One of the ways we support career long learning is through our higher qualifications, which enable optometrists to offer community services, take on more responsibility, and progress in their careers. This is so important at a time when the way services are delivered is changing, and optometrists are being challenged to do more. “Members who have completed a higher qualification tell us that as a result, they have greater confidence, improved skills and enhanced short and long term
professional development. This is why we have invested time in developing new higher qualifications over the last year, including paediatric eye care. “We’ve also been developing a range of continuing professional development (CPD) activities because we know that maintaining and improving our members’ professional skills and knowledge is essential for providing high quality care for patients and raising professional standards. This includes our new clinical audit training, designed to demystify and improve members’ understanding of clinical audit as an important tool for ensuring that service quality and standards are being maintained and improved. “With so many more activities and resources to help our members develop their career in the pipeline, it’s set to be an exciting year for education at the College.”
“We have also been developing a range of continuing professional development activities because we know that maintaining and improving our members’ professional skills and knowledge is essential for providing high quality care for patients and raising professional standards.”
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Annual Report 2015-2016
Our achievements: education I’m a member because... “... College qualifications, with exclusive member support, provide a platform to enhance our scope of practice and develop ourselves - something that I am very supportive of and grateful for.” Farah Gatrad MCOptom Joined the College in 2010
We developed two new higher qualifications in paediatric eye care, and accredited the University of Cardiff and University of Ulster to deliver this qualification at Professional Certificate level. We began offering MECS practical assessments to help assess the increasing numbers of optometrists training to deliver community services in England. The 2016 exams saw an 81% pass rate, and allowed us to provide a valuable service to the profession at a key time in the development of community service provision. A report which analysed the performance of trainees on the Scheme for Registration was published for the first time. The report provided a snapshot of a single group of prereg optometrists and revealed some interesting demographic data, as well as elements of competence that trainees struggle with most, which is particularly beneficial for students, supervisors, employers and universities.
I’m a member because... “... it has always been at the forefront of setting standards for optometrists and raising awareness of the profession of optometry overseas.” Martin O’Brien FCOptom Joined the College in 1996
Our new online clinical audit training went live. Worth 6 interactive CET points, the training includes a simple step-by-step look at the clinical audit process and features real life case studies. New supervisor and facilitator training events were also launched, once again demonstrating our commitment to delivering high quality CPD events. We also held the first Insight conference, our sell-out one-day event for pre-registration trainees.
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Putting members first Catherine Bithell Director of Member Services and Communications “Ensuring that we meet the needs of our members in order to support them in practice, while studying, and at every stage of their career is at the centre of everything we do. “We pride ourselves on offering high-quality, relevant and innovative events. We introduced the use of voting pads to our peer discussion events in 2014, and this proved so popular that we added this feature to our lectures this year – it adds an extra interactive element to proceedings, and allows our members to see where their opinions concur, or differ, from those of their peers. “With over 13,000 interactive CET points awarded at our member events, the College continues to be a force in educating the profession. Our flagship conference, Optometry Tomorrow, grows each year and is a must-attend event for hundreds of members from across the UK.
“We are also tasked to ensure that we interpret and communicate the work of our colleagues across the College. So, when a new piece of research is published, we produce a short, succinct member briefing to explain the key findings and how they affect our members in practice. And when new guidance is issued, we make sure our members are the first to hear about it in our fortnightly enewsletter and by publishing opinion, blogs and news on our website. “We have continued to develop our patient information resources, and introduced a new dry eye leaflet at the start of 2015. After just 12 months, we have distributed over 180,000 copies of this leaflet alone. We are continuing to develop this popular range following feedback from members, with a revised activity sheet for children, and a new leaflet on the effects of lifestyle on vision launching in 2017.”
“Ensuring that we meet the needs of our members in order to support them in practice, while studying, and at every stage of their career is at the centre of everything we do.”
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Annual Report 2015-2016
I’m a member because... “...its positive work for the profession and the numerous resources and opportunities it provides makes membership essential for any enthusiastic and ambitious newlyqualified optometrist.” Pavandeep Kaur Cooner MCOptom Joined the College in 2014
Our achievements: membership We introduced a Member Code of Conduct, allowing members to demonstrate to their patients and peers their commitment to the very highest clinical, ethical and professional standards. We delivered the largest ever Optometry Tomorrow conference in 2016, attracting 14% more delegates than ever before. A one-day version of the conference also took place last year, giving members who missed the main event the chance to catch some of the highlights. We published four volumes of our practicebased journal Optometry in Practice, including a bumper issue focussing on advances in ophthalmic techniques and technology which offered members the chance to earn 7 CET points.
I’m a member because... “... the College enables me to play an active part in my profession and to be involved in moving it forward.” Dr Keziah Latham Joined the College in 1991
Following member requests, we introduced a new patient leaflet on dry eye. Overall, we distributed over 1.2 million leaflets, helping our members to explain a range of common conditions to their patients. We introduced several new events, including Insight, our sell-out one-day conference for pre-registration trainees, and hospital based events for newly qualified optometrists.
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Developing the evidence base Mike Bowen Director of Research “One of our primary aims is to build the profession’s evidence base by supporting research into optometry, optics, vision science and related subjects for the public benefit. “This year we have certainly been adding to that evidence base. We published the findings from a number of projects, including the sector-wide Optical Workforce Survey, which identified the factors that may influence the work of the optical professions in the next five years, and the final report from the Prevalence of Visual Impairment in Dementia study, which measured the prevalence of a range of visual problems in people with dementia. Recent findings from Northern Ireland Childhood Errors of Refraction study, the largest study in the UK to examine changes in children’s vision and cycloplegic refractive error over time, were also published, as were the results of the first study to compare the accuracy, visual performance, quality and perceived acceptability and safety of spectacles bought online and in practice. Our
Enhanced Scheme Evaluation Project also continued to produce findings that support optometrists’ involvement in community schemes. “These studies are examples of what we do every year at the College - we conduct research relevant to our members, raise awareness of the findings, and promote the skills used in reviewing and evaluating evidence. “We work with everyone who can help us achieve these aims, including practising optometrists, academics, vision and health-related charities, national funding bodies and patients. This year, we began accepting donations to our Research Fund from our members, the public and the wider sector. Donations will ensure that the next generation of researchers are supported to make breakthroughs, and that the profession remains central to the nation’s capacity to conduct research into optometry, vision and eye health that is globally significant.”
“These studies are examples of what we do every year at the College - we conduct research relevant to our members, raise awareness of the findings, and promote the skills used in reviewing and evaluating evidence.”
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Annual Report 2015-2016
I’m a member because... “... the support that the College provides for researchers is invaluable. The funding, expertise and resources available have enabled me to further my career as a research optometrist.” Dr Lesley Doyle MCOptom Joined the College in 2008
Our achievements: research Two research papers arising from our Enhanced Scheme Evaluation Project (ESEP) show that optometrists involved in community schemes are able to provide cataract, glaucoma and primary eye care services to patients safely and effectively. Such schemes can also result in cost savings and reduce the number of hospital eye service appointments. The sector-wide Optical Workforce Survey (OWS) was published. The survey data was analysed to examine how the workforce has changed, and to identify the factors that may influence the work of the optical professions in the next five years, including workforce capacity and its ability to meet future demand. The final report from the PrOVIDe study – funded by the National Institute for Health Research – was published. The study measured the prevalence of a range of visual problems in people with dementia and identified the reasons for any under detection or inappropriate management of visual impairment in people with dementia.
I’m a member because... “...we need to help set a research agenda that delivers new advances in eye care - and a strong and effective College can make this happen.” Professor Jeremy Guggenheim MCOptom Joined the College in 1989
Work continued with NICER, the study which began in 2006 to investigate refractive development in childhood and early adulthood. Recent findings suggest that nearly one in five teenagers in the UK are myopic, and that myopia is more than twice as prevalent among UK children now than in the 1960s: 16.4% vs 7.2%. A study commissioned by the College found that when comparing spectacles bought online and those bought and fitted in optometric practices, customers preferred shop bought spectacles.
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Leading change and supporting members in practice Jo Mullin Director of Policy and Strategy “We promote the profession to commissioners, other health professionals and patients so that they understand the range of work that optometrists do and the benefits they bring to the eye health of the nation. “We do this in a number of ways, such as writing policy reports to make change happen, responding to consultations to influence decisions across a range of topics that affect optometrists and patients, and working with other sector organisations to develop solutions to challenges in the delivery of eye health. “We also work to make sure that our members feel supported in their daily practice and see us as the source of answers to their clinical and professional questions. We provide professional and clinical
guidance on a range of issues through our Guidance for professional practice, Clinical Management Guidelines and more detailed guidance on a range of topics. We keep our guidance up-to-date and reflective of current evidence, and will publish a revised edition at the end of 2017. “Our members also keep our clinical advisers busy with a huge range of queries about clinical, as well as ethical, legal and regulatory matters. They are always happy to help, and welcome the chance to guide members on deciding on the right course of action. They are also the faces behind the ethical scenarios and peer discussion cases that help our members relate the guidance to everyday practice.”
“We work to make sure that our members feel supported in their daily practice and see us as the source of answers to their clinical and professional questions.”
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Annual Report 2015-2016
I’m a member because... “...it keeps me up-to-date with my profession and provides clinical tools with which I can make practical changes in my work and that of the team around me.” Gillian Bruce MCOptom Joined the College in 2001
Our achievements: policy and guidance Our clinical advisers answered 29% more queries from members. Our advisers, who are very experienced practitioners, are just a phone call or email away and provide a prompt answer to all our members’ clinical and professional questions. This year we added to our Using Evidence in Practice series of briefings on key topics and produced easy to read summaries of the briefings. These are great way to keep up with the latest research on topics including dietary interventions for AMD, the effectiveness of lid hygiene in the management of blepharitis, and precision tinted lenses. Some of the big issues facing modern optometry were the focus of a round table event hosted by the College. Findings, summarised in The optical professions – what does the future hold?, will help us support members and the professions into the future.
I’m a member because... “... I view the College as the clinical conscience of the profession. It provides considered clinical advice and leads the clinical development of optometrists.” Malcolm Gray FCOptom Joined the College in 1970
We continued to provide the secretariat for the Clinical Council for Eye Health Commissioning. This group produced a framework for commissioning primary eye care, showing commissioners how community optometrists could help alleviate capacity issues in hospitals. We took part in an NHS England event aimed at giving commissioners solutions to capacity issues in the hospital eye service, and jointly ran a seminar with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists on working together to develop eye care solutions for patients.
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Annual Report 2015-2016
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Representing members Our structure and governance We’re governed by a Board of Trustees. The majority of Trustees are elected by the College’s Council of members. The Board, Council and other committees also include lay representatives, who provide expertise and ensure the very highest standards of governance. The Board has the legal and financial responsibility for the College and in 2015-16 consisted of 12 optometrist members and two lay members. College Council is made up of 40 members and its role is to determine the strategic and professional direction of the College. Our members in the 12 different College regions of the UK elect 35 of the Council members, four are nominated by the College’s Lay Advisory Panel and one is nominated by the Optometry Schools Council.
SCOTLAND
NORTH EAST NORTHERN IRELAND
NORTH WEST YORKSHIRE & THE HUMBER
EAST MIDLANDS WEST MIDLANDS
Get in touch To contact a council member, please email firstname.surname@college-optometrists.org.
WALES
EASTERN
LONDON SOUTH EAST SOUTH WEST
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Annual Report 2015-2016
East Midlands
Eastern
Geraint Griffiths
Prof Peter Allen
Jane Macnaughton
North East
London
Dr Anthony Gibson
Priya Jayaprakash
Andrew McGregor
North West
Paul Carroll
Neil Retallic
Dr Gillian Rudduck
Dr Parminder Chohan
Dr Parth Shah
Dr Joy Myint
David Parkins (Immediate Past President)
Dr Kamlesh Chauhan
Wales
Lisa Gerson
Scotland
Dr Sara McCullough
Ian Jarvis
Prof Kathryn Saunders
Hal Rollason
Johnathan Waugh
South West
Colin Davidson
(Treasurer)
Sanjay Patel
Sarah Farrant
West Midlands
Dr Mary-Ann Sherratt (President)
Sheetal Patel
Northern Ireland
South East
Rasmeet Chadha
Krupa Patel
Shamina Asif
Trustees
Tony Cowburn Katie Engel Amarpal Takk John Thompson
Rasmeet Chadha Dr Kamlesh Chauhan Dr Parminder Chohan Colin Davidson Dr Leon Davies Prof Edward Mallen
Adam Wannell
Yorkshire and Humber
Dr Leon Davies
Lay members of Council
Kiki Soteri
Francesca Marchetti
David Parkins Sanjay Patel Dr Mary-Ann Sherratt Kiki Soteri John Thompson
Prof Edward Mallen (Vice-President)
Dr Aleksandra Mankowska
Barbara Watson
Co-opted Trustees
OSC nominee
Dr Rob Hogan Andrew Kitchen (Lay Trustee) Dr Cindy Tromans
Dr James Gilchrist (Optometry Schools Council)
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Income
Investment income 2.3% Research 2.1% Gains on investment assets 7.3% Education 52.4% Membership 35.9% Total income ÂŁ7,270,030
Expenditure
Investment management fees 0.5% Research 14.0% Membership 28.4% Education 57.1% Total expenditure ÂŁ6,994,159
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Annual Report 2015-2016
Balance sheet Fixed assets Tangible fixed assets £2,619,603 Investments £4,546,078 £7,165,681
Current assets Debtors £1,439,353 Cash at bank and in hand
£1,251,078
£2,690,431
Liabilities Creditors due within one year
£2,157,875
Net current (liabilities)/assets £532,556 Net assets £7,698,237
Funds Restricted funds Research Fund £1,083,420 DOCET & PrOVIDe £543,581 Unrestricted funds Designated funds £2,865,596 General funds £3,205,640 Total charity funds £7,698,237
The full statement of accounts are available on our website at college-optometrists.org/annualreports.
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42 Craven Street London WC2N 5NG Telephone: 020 7839 6000 Fax: 020 7839 6800 info@college-optometrists.org twitter.com/CollegeOptomUK college-optometrists.org