Read the latest RCOphth news updates and guidance here.
Following the welcome announcement in June 2023 that sight testing will be expanded to all special schools in England from 2024, NHS England is now consulting on the future design of this rollout.
Gordon Cropper, who was a former member of our Board of Trustees, died in early September. Prior to becoming a Lay Trustee, Gordon was a member of the Lay Advisory Group and was a dedicated and valued member of both our Training Committee and National Recruitment Subcommittee.
The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (formerly Public Health England) has published a refreshed Vision profile detailing eye health data up to 2021/22. This updated profile provides a useful tool for clinicians to compare patient profiles and unit performance across a range of metrics, compare that to regional and national data and potentially make the case for the appropriate resourcing of their ophthalmology services.
College President Ben Burton last week presented diplomas to more than 150 new Fellows at this year’s Admissions Ceremony.
Girish Chandra came from modest beginnings in India to further his ophthalmic career in the UK in the 1960’s. He subsequently worked in numerous countries in North America and Asia. He recognises that the chance to train in the UK is a valuable and cherished opportunity, and he hopes that this award will facilitate this for future ophthalmologists.
We have provided evidence to the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC), which is responding to the UK COVID-19 Inquiry on behalf of all members. RCOphth Policy Advisor David Murray summarises the key points from our response, which recommends four actions to ensure UK ophthalmology services are resilient and able to deliver sufficient patient care and training opportunities during and after the acute stage of a future pandemic.
The General Medical Council (GMC) has this week published an update on Good medical practice, which details the principles, values and standards expected of doctors working in the UK.
A team led by Siegfried Wagner and Pearse Keane of Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology (and spanning UCL institutions) has identified markers that indicate the presence of Parkinson’s disease in patients on average seven years before clinical presentation. This is the first time anyone has shown these findings several years before diagnosis, and these results were made possible by the largest study to date on retinal imaging in Parkinson’s disease.
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists has written to Health Minister Will Quince MP to express our support for the extension of independent prescribing responsibilities to orthoptists. The British and Irish Orthoptic Society has previously advocated for these responsibilities, including in a letter to the Secretary of State.
The Government’s Elective Recovery Taskforce has announced several actions aimed at increasing capacity in England in its implementation plan, especially through expanded independent sector involvement in the delivery of NHS services. While the measures, analysed in this article, represent an important acknowledgement of the need to urgently expand capacity and aspects of the plan can help ophthalmology if implemented effectively, to make a real difference policymakers must prioritise properly investing in NHS services and its workforce and infrastructure.
