Key points from the North Yorkshire Local Optical Committee meeting& AGM

08-04-2025

Election of committee members

Current LOC members being retained on the committee are: Charlotte Turner, Jack Carr, Gillian Carr, Sarah Farrell, Katherine Friis, Kate Malyn and Deryck Watts.

Co-opted members are: Eleanor Mace (DO), Philip Angel and Darryl Taylor.

New members include: Melanie Linegar and Katie Nicholls.

Election of Officers

Chair- Katherine Friis, Secretary- Sarah Farrell, Treasurer- Philip Angel (Charlotte Turner shadowing).

Secretary’s Report

Over the last year, discussions in the LOC meetings have again focussed around upskilling the workforce and working collaboratively with other professionals.

A significant sum of money was given by the NHS, due to an underspend on GOS, to North Yorkshire LOC. It has allowed upskilling local clinicians across 3 LOC areas at heavily discounted rates. These include higher diplomas and professional certificates of Glaucoma, medical retina and independent prescribing. It was confirmed that the workforce payments can also be used by Dispensing Opticians towards recognised ABDO courses.

Thank you to Philip the LOC Treasurer who also manages a large amount of funding from the NHS for an ocular hypertension scheme.  A new format was launched whereby a fee can be claimed if a blood pressure reading is taken; and another fee on completing a follow up call of a referred patient and logging the conclusion on Pharmoutcomes. Sign up and retention fees are encouraging more uptake of optical businesses.

The LOC has been working with the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) providing feedback about what works well concerning Single Point of Access (SPoA). An example of a Single Point of Access is the Choice Office, which the ICB is looking to expand to cover East Yorkshire and Hull for cataracts.

This means there will no longer be a £12 admin fee for completing a referral refinement cataract form. A GOS 18 or equivalent referral requesting cataract treatment for one eye or both will be required instead. Thereafter, the Choice Office will conduct the cataract scoring over the telephone with the patient. Patients will be given the choice of where they would prefer their treatment. However, complex cases and those requiring general anaesthetic will only be offered hospital options. All post op care will be in community, unless clinically complex.

Current eyecare service contracts run by the LOC Company are in East Riding and Hull for IOP and post-op cataract for SpaMedica.

York continues to include the Community Eyecare Service (CECS) which is ran by Primary Eyecare Services (PES). It is a Minor Eye Conditions scheme (MECS) and Glaucoma Repeat Readings (GRR) service.

North Yorkshire LOC provides WOPEC codes for courses free of charge. These can be necessary for the inclusion in local enhanced services, whilst also improving personal clinical knowledge. If you require a WOPEC code, please provide your name, GOC number and work address by emailing nylocsecretary@gmail.com.

The LOC has recently hosted WOPEC assessments in York location which allowed local clinicians to complete their MECS OSCE, Glaucoma OSCE and a foreign body removal course.

We are grateful to Sarah Smith who organised another successful CPD day in October 2024. The LOC will provide another CPD day this autumn.

Visit the LOC website: northyorkshireloc.co.uk for Secretary reports from each LOC meeting, general updates and dates for upcoming CPD events. All the content of the website is available without the need for a member login.

Treasurer’s Report

The statutory levy over most of the year was 1.0%, it has now been adjusted down to 0.75% after much delay. LOCSU were ineffective in making the change. Finally, Debra from NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB found the correct path to effect the change voted on at our last AGM. The LOCSU levy payable will be 0.35% as agreed at the AGM.

The accounts show our main expenditures being: LOCSU, our CPD day and member’s expenses.

Working alongside NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB, the Treasurer administers the payments for the ocular hypertension scheme and workforce payments from the large funds we hold on behalf of the ICB.

LOCSU Update

NHS England is being abolished over the next 2years by the current government, a large threat is also that of the 50% cuts to funding for our local ICB.

LOCSU are collating the problems from the LOCs and taking them to the sector bodies (FODO, AOP, ABDO) to highlight where the challenges are. The sector bodies take these points to a national level with the department for Health and Social Care. This information then feeds down to our local commissioners.

LOCSU are explaining to commissioners with clinical data/cases the difference primary care make and explain the impact of what cancelling services would have on hospital services to reduce the likelihood of service cuts, before they able to influence the fee levels.

LOCSU provide: training and support to LOCs, a central hub for any queries, LOC payroll service, webinars, podcasts, other accessible learning and hosting the National Optical Conference in May 2025. LOCSU representatives have attended 2000 LOC meetings this year, issued 1000 CPD points, produced 42 documents and developed pathways.

Key topics nationally are Single Point of Access (SPoA), electronic referrals, eye testing in special schools, glaucoma care and cardiovascular disease prevention (8 pilots lasting 6months across the country).

NHS sight test fee remuneration has not increased over the last year as demand of GOS tests is being met by optical businesses.

Primary Eyecare Services (PECs) update

MECS and GRR services are running well, with great feedback from commissioners, Trusts and patients. In North Yorkshire, the original service procured 3years ago has been extended for another 2years until 31/3/27.

Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) survey allows patients to give feedback on all services; of which the majority of feedback is excellent. Patients without a mobile phone number can be sent a printed survey to complete.

PES will work with commissioners, the LOC and ICB to incorporate Independent prescribing (IP) and FP10 provision within services.

Referrals

-Single Point of Access (SPoA) for cataracts

North Yorkshire is unique in that we have had a SPoA in the form of Choice for many years; whilst the rest of the ICB area currently refer directly to the hospital. The change for North Yorkshire practitioners is the portal (named Accenda Gateway) and the method of sending the referral. It is partly due to not all practices having access to nhs.net email (private only stores send paper referrals presently). There is a process to complete to gain a virtual NHS Care Identity card to allow these electronic referrals.

The cataract referral refinement form will not need to be completed and the £12 fee will no longer be paid. Instead a GOS18 or equivalent will be sent on the new portal. SPoA will contact the patient by telephone to discuss their choice of providers. Clinicians are asked to only ask their patients to chase SPoA after 5 working days if they have not been contacted already to act as a fail safe. If the patient cannot be reached by telephone or text messages, a letter will be sent out to the patient.

The new date for getting York and Scarborough onboard is 1^st May 2025 (delayed by 1month), and the rest of North Yorkshire by 1^st June 202. Until going live, continue with the current method of cataract referral.

-MECS & GRR

In North Yorkshire, the original service procured 3years ago has been extended for another 2years until 31/3/27. As this was not a re-procurement, the fees per patient episode remain the same despite efforts for renegotiating and the request of an in line with inflation uplift being denied.

-York based Glaucoma/ OHT monitoring pilot

It will consist of 300 patients spread over 10 practitioners. An email form was sent out to York and Scarborough practitioners to see if it would be something they would consider offering.  There will be a requirement for having a certificate in Glaucoma and specific scheme training. Remuneration fees are yet to be decided.

-Ocular hypertension scheme

The hypertension scheme is continuing into next year and is expanding. Date to be confirmed on a feedback element if the patient has to be sent to Pharmacy or A+E, for which an additional fee can be claimed.

Translation

There is a new translation service for all NHS patients. Information has been sent to all NHS registered contract addresses.

Remembering Steve Clark

Steve was very institutional in how he worked with NHS England to support some of the funding that we were able to achieve through the ICB to further future careers. He supported those completing qualifications and he will be missed deeply.

Next LOC meeting

The next LOC meeting will take place on Monday 7th July 2025 at 7pm at the Crown Hotel, Boroughbridge.