College of Optometrists

The College welcomes the Prime Minister's commitment to reform the NHS at the Kings Fund Annual conference - in response to the Darzi Review. Our Director of Policy & Strategy, Sarah Cant PhD, was there to hear his speech. We have offered our support to the DHSC to help integrate optometry into NHS plans. You can read more here: https://bit.ly/47wkKqv #DarziReview

This morning, our College Clinical Adviser, Denise Voon MCOptom, joined Mason (7) and his mum, Kayleigh, on the BBC News Breakfast sofa with presenters Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt. Denise highlighted how vital it is for children to have early sight tests, how to spot potential issues, and shared tips on saving money on children's glasses. Catch up on this important discussion about #ChildrensEyeHealth, on BBC iPlayer ➡️ https://coptom.uk/3zjZgR1 (Timestamp 7:19am - 7:27am) #TheCollegeofOptometrists #Optometry #Children #BackToSchool #BBC

Your new College Member App is ready to download! 📱 Our brand-new community space on the app will support you throughout your career and enable you to: ⚪ Connect with other members through groups and IP communities ⚪ Private message other members ⚪ Join special interest groups ⚪ Discuss topics that are important to you You can also access your essentials including: ▪ The Clinical Management Guidelines ▪ Guidance for Professional Practice ▪ Optometrists' Formulary ▪ plus much more Download or update your College Member App today ➡️ https://coptom.uk/3MF5o9u #TheCollegeofOptometrists #WeAreOptometry #Optometry Daniel Hardiman-McCartney

What do you enjoy about being a member of the College? 👋 We caught up with our members and asked them their thoughts. They tell us all about their favourite member benefits, resources and how the College supports them and the profession. Let us know what your favourite College resource is in the comments section below. #TheCollegeofOptometrists #WeAreOptometry #Optometry

🚨 National Eye Health Week is right around the corner – it's time to gear up for some last-minute planning! Whether it's events, activities, or creative ways to spread awareness, let’s shine a spotlight on the importance of regular eye exams. Denise Voon, Paramdeep Bilkhu and I have been hard at work in the studio, with Toby Ward and the College of Optometrists team, we can't wait for the week to kick off! 👁️✨ Curious about how you can get involved? Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/eqhhZSEE #EyeHealthWeek #VisionMatters #EyeCare #IAmAnOptometrist

Need expert advice on a challenging clinical case? As a valued College member, you have exclusive access to our Clinical Advice Service with Daniel Hardiman-McCartney MBE FCOptom, Denise Voon MCOptom and Dr Paramdeep Bilkhu MCOptom. Our experienced Clinical Advisers are here to provide you with friendly, confidential support for all your clinical and professional questions. Members can get in touch via: 📞 Phone 📧 Email 💬 Web form Visit the College website to find out more about the service and our experts ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eK5z96_t #TheCollegeofOptometrists #Optometry

Visit the headquarters of your professional body as part of the #OpenHouseLondonFestival and Heritage Open Days event 🏠 📆 Sunday, 15 September 2024 🕒 12 noon – 5pm You'll have the chance to explore the College’s historic #GeorgianBuilding and #BritishOpticalAssociationMuseum featuring the world’s oldest collection of spectacles and vision aids. This event offers the public an opportunity to learn about our work, with a costumed character welcoming guests and a special exhibit featuring an eye-themed dress from the TV show, The Great British Sewing Bee. Find out more ➡️ https://coptom.uk/4cT4YHs #TheCollegeofOptometrists #WeAreOptometry #Optometry Neil Handley

The withdrawal of funding from the Scottish government for Docet CPD is a concern to many of our members. While Docet is developed and delivered by the College, all funding for it comes from the government funding in each nation, not from member subscriptions. This funding enables access for all optometrists working in their nation to access this free CPD resource. As funding for this resource from Scotland has stopped therefore, as in the agreement with the other three nations, the access for Scottish optometrists has to be unfortunately withdrawn. This does not affect access to all of the other free CPD that the College offers its members. You can feedback on this decision by submitting your views via a feedback form on our website. This will be collated to provide an evidence base for further conversations with the Scottish government. Full details on this update are available on our website ➡️ https://coptom.uk/3ZezVm6

Thank you to Boots Opticians & Kyla Black for inviting the College of Optometrists to their CPD event at Stamford Bridge to lead a discussion workshop. It was great to meet so many of your optometrists, CLOs and dispensing opticians and talking to them about the clinical advice service, supervision for the new CLiP and discuss a several thought provoking clinical cases. Clinical goals scored! Denise Voon Sandra Holmes

For September’s SPOKE Topic of the Month, we hear from David Jameson MCOptom Optometrist, Learning & Development Specialist for Boots Opticians. David discusses how to help students identify when it’s time to call in the supervisor, and how to encourage effective clinical decision-making in trainee DOs, CLOs and pre-registration optometrists ➡️ https://coptom.uk/47eggoh Lizzy Ostler, Jennifer Rasteiro, Joy Myint, Miranda Richardson, Association of British Dispensing Opticians, Optometry Schools Council