October2014
The role and function of the Committee
The Committee is one of the local professional committees constituted under the National Health Service Acts and the members are volunteers. It exists to represent the interests of Optometrists (performers) and Contractors who practise under a contract for services to the NHS. The Committee is required: -
To advise the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) for Shropshire and Staffordshire on matters affecting Optometrists and Contractors providing GOS (general ophthalmic services) under the National Health Service; in addition certain services are provided outside the NHS contract ie community services
To establish the collective views of those Optometrists/Contractors, including Dispensing Opticians, on the administration of the GOS and in particular to make suggestions for their improvement, for consideration by the CCG
To ensure Optometrists/Contractors are kept up to date on matters affecting the general ophthalmic services and to assist individual Optometrists and Contractors to understand and comply with the terms of their NHS contract
To consider any complaint made to them by any Optometrist/Contractor against any other Optometrist/Contractorpractising in the county and involving the efficiency of the GOS
To advise the CCG on matters affecting Optometrists and Contractors in relation to the hospital eye services, the scope and efficiency of those services and the provision of these
ophthalmic services at health centres, clinics etc. This will include matters such as shared care treatment provided outside the GOS contract
To undertake such other consultative functions as necessary from time to time, including liaison with the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
The Committee’s role is interpreted as including the duty to provide advice or guidance that will best serve not only Optometrists and Contractors in the County but also their NHS patients, together with the optometric profession as a whole.
For their part, the CCG is required to seek the Committee’s comments, views and recommendations on any matter affecting Optometrists,Contractors and their patients.
Community Services
The Committee is also involved in promoting the role of community optometry in enhancing eye care services and making more effective use of primary and secondary care resources. In this role the LOC will put forward suggestions for developing community or co-managed services which will offer better access for patients and reduce pressures on the secondarysector. With the emphasis on patient-based care and local commissioning of services, this role is becoming more and more important and the CCGs are increasingly looking to community optometry for support in the provision of eye care services.The LOC is very clear, however, that if Optometrists or Contractors in the community are commissioned to undertake such additional responsibilities, these must be properly funded. GOS only funds an NHS sight test.
At the present time, Shropshire Optometrists provide the following community services –Pre and Post Operative Cataract Referral Refinement, Glaucoma Referral Refinement (OHT Monitoring) and PEARS organised in accordance with the LOCSU Pathways, plus Children’s Services to a model local to Shropshire but based on the LOCSU Pathway and designed jointly by Consultants and the LOC.
The amalgamation of areas under the NHS reorganisation of 2013 meant that the NHS in Shropshire and Staffordshire is managed by a single Clinical Commissioning Group. Shropshire and Staffordshire LOCs have drawn together to create an LOC Company – Primary Eye Care (Shropshire and Staffordshire) Ltd. – which will organise, manage and oversee these community services which are supplied in addition to and separate from the traditional General Ophthalmic Services.
Funding
As with the other Local Representative Committees, a Statutory Levy is collected. For the LOC this is collected through the GOS payments system and the levy is used to fund the LOC’s activities. There is also a Voluntary levy applied to those practices that wish to support the activities of the Central LOC Fund in its work which benefits the profession as a whole. Financial matters are organised by the Treasurer, Martin Viggars, and Assistant Treasurer, Matthew Partridge.
Committee membership
The membership of the Committee currently comprises fifteen Optometrists / Dispensing Opticians and Contractors who are under contract with the CCG to provide general ophthalmic services in the area. The constitution of the Committee provides that where this is possible one of the places on the Committee shall include an Optometrist working in the Hospital and Community Health Services; currently this is David Parkinson, the Clinical Manager of the Diabetic Eye Screening Programme. Elina Duba is an employed Dispensing Optician. Other members are either Optometrists or Contractors. Members are elected to serve for a three year term of office and the election takes place at an annual general meeting to which all Optometrists, Dispensing Opticians and Contractors practising in Shropshire are invited.
The officers of the Committee are elected annually at the AGM.
The current membership is:-
Paul D. Cottrell(Chairman)
Stephen R. Evenett(Deputy Chairman)
Martin A. Viggars(Treasurer)
Clare Darbyshire
Emma Close-Davies
Elina Duba
Carina Gerrard
Daina Gromadzki
Gareth Hardcastle
Rizwaan Makda
Vinay Najran
David Parkinson
Matthew Partridge
Michael V. Shinn
Ellen Windsor-Crewe
Currently the Secretary of the Committee is a layman - Alan Barker.
Meetings
The Committee meets six times a year at the Lord Hill Hotel, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury.
CCG and other representation
The CCG Optometric Adviser, Claire A. Roberts, attends LOC meetings by open invitation. Other senior representatives of the CCG and representatives of bodies associated with, or interested in, eye care are invited from time to time.
LOC links with other bodies
The Committee appoints representatives to serve as follows:-
Eye Care Group The Chairman, Paul Cottrell, serves as a member of the Group, attending meetings as required.
LOC Company Board Three members are appointed to represent Shropshire LOC.
Performance Steering Group Two members represent the Committee on the Group which investigates matters of concern ie matters which come to the attention of the CCG which may give rise to concern about the performance of a primary care provider – Doctors, Dentists and Optometrists/ Contractors.
Low Vision Amember represents the Committee on this Forum, which represents health, social services and other bodies, both public and private, with an interest in low vision ie services for the sight impaired and severely sight impaired.
Other members are appointed to represent the Committee on external bodies and committees as and when required.
Other positions
The Committee appoints a Press and Publicity Officer to promote the services provided by Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians and for contacts with the press and media.
The Committee appoints an Online Communications Coordinator.
There is also an Education Working Group with an Education Coordinator.
The LOC is represented at the National Optometric Conference, held annually in the Autumn.
Also
Members occasionally meet with members of other LOCs locally, e.g. Staffordshire, to discuss matters of mutual interest.
Peer review
Although there is as yet no formal machinery for peer review in Shropshire the Committee, whether it does this voluntarily or in response to a request by an Optometrist and/or Contractor, the CCG or other source and whether or not the matter affects the NHS, will offer the Optometrist(s)and/or Contractor the opportunity of informal discussion where it is considered this would be in his/her/their interests. In such cases the Committee is in effect acting as an agent of the General Optical Council. Members of the Committee are appointed to do the best they can to help whatever the problem and their discussions with the Optometrist(s) and/or Contractor are entirely private and confidential.
Newsletter
A newsletter is sent out to every Shropshire Optometrist/Contractor twice a year.
This note is necessarily brief and if you need further information about the LOC, please contact in the first instance either Paul Cottrell (Chairman) by email at ) or Alan Barker (Secretary) on 01981 540050 (or email ).