07 January 2021
Though I doubt many of us had set our expectations too high after the rollercoaster of 2020, we’re only a week into the new year, and the days have felt like a series of crashing dominoes.
We have a new strain of the virus, coronavirus cases are rising – the Office for National Statistics reporting that one in 50 people in England have COVID-19 – and lockdowns are now in place across all four of the devolved nations.
Optical bodies have shared that practices can remain open to provide eye care in the current restrictions.
Guidance points practices towards the College of Optometrists’ amber phase advice, prioritising emergency and essential care on a needs and symptoms-led basis.
Routine appointments should only be provided if capacity permits and where it is in the patient’s best interest, the optical bodies have said. The AOP has also emphasised that, if routine care is to take place, practices need to ensure a continuation of “stringent” measures to reduce the risk of infection, including the use of longer appointment times to support infection control requirements.
For many optometrists, there are concerns about the potential risks to practice staff, as well as to patients, as well as the strain of another lockdown on personal and family lives.
There has been some positive news this week, however, with the rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine offering a glimmer of hope for the future of reducing the spread of the virus.
Optical bodies have also shared that, as frontline healthcare workers, optometrists and practice staff will be included in the second priority group for access to vaccination. In guidance published today, NHS England has confirmed that by mid-January NHS Trusts will establish ‘hospital hubs’ and will be the default provider of COVID-19 vaccinations for “all healthcare and social care workers.”
At the end of last year, I spoke to a few wellbeing practitioners about how optometrists can keep well during the winter – a time that can be difficult for many under normal circumstances, let alone with the additional pressures of COVID-19. Some of our conversation feels particularly salient now.
Speaking to OT about the anxiety and uncertainty that many optometrists have been feeling over the past year, Sheena Tanna-Shah, optometrist and mindfulness and meditation practitioner, emphasised the importance of checking in with how you are feeling, and reaching out to others.
She advised: “Take a look at who or what can support you in addressing some of your worries. Can you speak to a colleague, friend, employer, or family member?
“The more you are able to communicate about your concerns, the less they will overwhelm you. Whatever you are feeling or going through, remember you are not alone.”
While there is much to consider in this lockdown, a reminder that we are not alone is one I think we could perhaps use.
As always, the OT team are here to support readers in reporting the evolving situation and sharing your experiences. If you would like to share how your practice has been affected, or your experience of the lockdown, please email the OT team.
Comments (3)
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[email protected]08 January 2021
On one hand ,the public is advised to stay at home and on the other,it's okay to go out for routine eye examinations. Clearly this is controversial and the safety of the staff and optometrists is definitely not been the number one priority. It's more about practice owners making a profit and very happily taking advantage of loyal Locums to reduce the rates if they lengthen the appointment times. This pandemic has proved that neither of the governing/regulatory bodies have the best supportive interest for the optical professional staff. I agree with my colleague that a suitable appointment time should be a law now.
R
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Anonymous08 January 2021
Patients are being told to stay at home, but as a profession we are saying "don't worry about Covid, come and have your eyes tested. Ignore the risk of becoming another statistic, and come and buy new glasses." It is putting the patients, the optometrists and their staff at a far greater risk, despite the hygiene protocols and SOP's. As a business owner I am able to work a 45 minute appointment schedule, to ensure thorough cleaning and disinfection; clearly other optoms are not. In the first lockdown we were still able to provide essential care and to see emergencies, so the potential for sight loss was reduced as much as possible. Now it seems - with the collusion of the College and the AOP - the safety of patients, optoms and staff is secondary to profit.
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Anonymous08 January 2021
My reason for feeling much less confident is that despite your ‘guidance’ on testing times the large firm I work for will not increase testing time and we are currently working at 25 minutes. This is the same as before the pandemic!!
Obviously now we have to incorporate thorough cleaning between patients. The guidance should be law not down to individual employers who are just thinking about profit.
With the new variant we should by law be given the time necessary to keep ourselves and our patients safe.
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