OT  asks: What is your ambition for 2024?

My wish for 2024 is...

...for a portable OCT

Harjinder Sunda, domiciliary optometrist and business owner

We recently purchased a portable retinal camera to aid the monitoring of retinal conditions. My wish for 2024 would be the production of a portable OCT machine. This would allow us to confidently manage many eye conditions for our housebound patients.

...for rules around driving to change

Rebecca Rushton, locum optometrist

While I think the current vision standard is reasonable, I do believe drivers should have their eyes examined at least every two to three years, as vision is such an important part of one’s ability to drive.

...for closer working

Joy Hynes, optometrist and practice owner

My wish for 2024 is a closer working relationship between primary and secondary care, and with the help of artificial intelligence making the referral process more streamlined, resulting in more timely appointments and better patient care.

...for collaboration to be embraced

Kiki Soteri, optometrist and head of clinical services at Leightons Opticians and Hearing Care

My wish for 2024 is that all health-care commissioners, academic institutions and providers of eye care in England embrace the opportunity to be more collaborative.

There are many such opportunities for continued collaboration such as collaborative development of shared digital records, with good governance for an improved patient journey at the centre of all considerations. Collaboration on training needs at all stages of learning and development pathways, to ensure that we deliver evidence-based practice, placement-based learning, clinical continuity and the best levels of patient care in professional settings that are timely for our existing patients and communities as a whole.

In 2024 we will see many people working with a range of education providers to bring to life the General Optical Council’s updated education and training requirements for student optometrists, trainee therapeutic independent prescribers, trainee dispensing opticians and trainee contact lens opticians.

...to slow myopia

Hassnain Safdar, optometrist and practice director

My wish for 2024 is that we can start to have an impact on children’s lives by helping to slow down myopia, and offering the highest level of clinical care to the community that I serve.

...for wider access to eye care services in Special Schools

Henry Leonard, domiciliary optometrist and business owner, and head of clinical and regulatory at the AOP

My wish is that the Special Schools Eye Care Service is rolled out more widely, so children and young people with special educational needs can access eye care more easily.

...to qualify and gain PEARS accreditation

Aisha Iqbal, pre-reg optometrist at Valli Opticians, Hebden Bridge

My wish for 2024 is to be a fully qualified optometrist and attend my graduation with my family. I hope to achieve my first extra qualification and become PEARS-accredited. I lean towards this as I currently see many worried patients who are in need of a PEARS appointment, and in having this qualification I can help to reduce waiting times at A&E and the hospital eye clinic. I do wish to venture into other sectors of optometry, such as medical retina in the future.

...continue improving links with secondary care

Elaine Hawthorn of Specsavers Stranraer, who won a 2023 Doug Perkins medal in recognition of clinical excellence by optometrists

My wish for 2024 is to continue improving community links with the hospital by offering patients as many services as we can in practice without them having to make the long, difficult journey to the hospital.

...to inform students of the diverse career pathways in optometry

Simon Raw, professional services optometrist, CPD lead and universities lead

My wish for 2024 is to elevate domiciliary optometry as a career choice for the next generation of optometrists. Through collaboration with universities, my aim is to inspire and guide university students to explore the vast potential of domiciliary eye care. At OutsideClinic, we have established a dedicated university programme where I conduct lectures to provide young professionals with profound insights into this rewarding dimension of our profession.

My aspiration is to offer students the opportunity to witness the profound positive impact we can have on patients’ lives within the comfort of their own homes. By exposing them to the unique experiences and challenges of domiciliary optometry, I intend to equip them with the knowledge and perspective needed to make informed career choices.

Ultimately, my goal for 2024 is to ensure that upcoming optometrists are well-informed about the diverse pathways available in their careers. By doing so, we empower them to make educated decisions and enable them to contribute meaningfully to the ever-evolving field of optometry.

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What key ambitions will drive the AOP’s activity in 2024?

John White, AOP communications director, on putting primary care optometry on the map

 

In spring 2023, over 3000 practising and student members took part in our first large-scale research study since 2018, exploring the evolving needs of members and their aspirations for the future.

Based on the report, in 2023 we focused on building our successful education, CPD and events offer across a range of modes of practice, and this will continue into 2024 – the last year in the GOC’s CPD cycle. Our member stories videos, coupled with refreshed branding for the AOP, was work that responded further to the findings of the research. 

One of the key motivations for the member research was to gain robust evidence to inform and enhance the decisions we take to drive optometry forward, and design AOP services that reflect the step change that we’ve seen in the profession.

Central to this ambition, as part of our five-year strategy, is the AOP’s ability to engage and influence the right people: decision-makers, commissioners and our NHS colleagues. We have gained ground using various tactics; from engagement on a singular issue, such as calling on the DVLA to reduce its list of notifiable eye conditions, to wider calls for a national approach to eye care off the back of our own external affairs work and through our partnership in The Eyes Have It. And we will go further next year.  

Healthcare and the NHS is already a major battleground for both the Conservative and Labour parties. Our presence at the 2023 Party conferences gave us great leverage in the wider health conversation and how we find solutions that work across the parties. With a general election on the horizon, there are important opportunities for the AOP to continue to put primary care optometry on the map.
 
2024 presents an exciting opportunity for members to get involved as an AOP Councillor, both for those starting out in their career and for those with a wealth of experience. Our Council elections open in February and we hope to replicate the exceptional levels of member engagement we’ve seen across AOP activity in 2023. Look out for more information in the New Year.

OT would like to thank all of our contributors for their time in sharing their expectations and ambitions for the year ahead. Add a comment below or tag us on social media to share your ambition for 2024.

We wish all our readers a happy New Year.