Author: Coventry and Warwickshire LOC

PLEASE READ
Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am writing to you as a Trustee of Coventry Resource Centre for the Blind to ask for your help with a difficult cashflow situation.

Based in Earlsdon, CRCB is a truly valuable resource for visually impaired people in Coventry and the surrounding area providing essential support beyond diagnosis. Without such support, sight loss almost invariably leads to loss of confidence, loss of independence, social isolation and an increased risk of deteriorating physical and mental health.

As an independent charity, CRCB combats all of these consequences through its wide range of volunteer-supported activities that help visually impaired people adapt and learn new skills such as computing, how to use smart phones, cooking and braille. It offers access to hobby activities including creative writing, music, craft, allotment, bowls and T’ai Chi as well as social clubs and outings. Its minibus service allows people from all over the city to get to the centre without having to rely on family, taxis or public transport.

This friendly, much valued charity celebrates its tenth anniversary this year: in its first decade it has grown hugely and is now a vital part of the support network for your patients and their families. Around 120 individuals now attend each week but it supports many more with telephone and drop-in advice. It has achieved all this with no public funding of any kind.

About 18 months ago, the charity bought its premises and an adjacent former care home, Boston Lodge: Sense, the previous owners decided to sell and the choice for CRCB was either to buy or, frankly, close. While this gives it an opportunity to create a gold standard of support in the future, the high cost has caused a temporary but fairly serious deficit which I am asking for your help in plugging.

I am asking for a one-off donation as soon as possible, as an indication ideally £1000 per company or any amount per individual would be most appreciated. If you wish, we will advertise the donations on our website and within our support groups and circulars.

Thank you for kind consideration at this difficult time. I cannot emphasise enough how valuable this charity is to the visually impaired community in Coventry and how much so many of our patients rely on it. Please help.

If you have any questions or would like to see the facility in action, please feel free to contact me on 07971 207776 or by email on suresh.munyal@nhs.net.

Kind regards and thank you in advance.

Suresh Munyal MSc MCOptom Dip Tp(IP)

Here’s how you can donate:

Send a cheque payable to Coventry Resource Centre for the Blind
33-35 Earlsdon Avenue South, Coventry, CV5 6TH

Make a bank transfer to:
Bank: Co-operative Bank
Sort Code: 08-92-99
Acct Number: 65371978
Acct Name: Coventry Resource Centre for the Blind

CHECs have changed the processed slightly now when registering a new optometrist for our system, please see details below;
WOPEC certificates 
AOP certificates (1year)
GOC evidence  (1year)
2 ids ( 1photo/utility bill)
DBS check evidence (lasts 3 years)

Once you provide CHECs with the above requirements ,CHECs issue a login.

HR will then contact the Optometrist to complete some online training modules.  Once these are completed then they will be able to access the service.

v

COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE LOCAL OPTOMETRIC COMMITTEE

                           Meeting of Monday 18^th November 2019

Venue – The Almanack – Kenilworth  – The meeting opened at 6.35pm

Those present:

Jason Rice (Chair), Dilesh Makwana (Sec), Kiran Bola (Treas), Sukhinder Cheema, Michelle Corrin, Gurpreet Bains, Raj Jogia, Russell Peake, Susan Bowers, Jon Belcher, Mike Harris, Suresh Munyal, Francesca Marchetti, Joy Elwell, Chaaban Zeidan.

Apologies: Jane Kempton.

Minute taker: Bev Morris.

The minutes of the last meeting were accepted.

Matters arising: None

There were no action points.

CHEC

Javid has responded and given an email and address and fax for NHS.net. When a referral is sent via the portal the Optometrists receives a reference number back, there was some confusion as to who which patient the reference number belonged to. Note the time that referral was sent to CHEC – when the email comes back the same time will show.

Positive- Sukhi reported that the patients were happy with the system. Better than we used to have.

Chaabaan to put the ‘time’ hint on the website.  Dilesh will email these details out aswell.

Jon  received an email this morning was slightly contradictive saying to send everything to CHEC – even under 16’s. Flashes and floaters – book straight in for appt. Jon to look at the contract & send to Jason etc.  Imran – consultant/owner is quite amicable.

NOC

Jason and Chaaban attended the NOC. See attached NOC report sent to all. Looking at the whole thing – Primary care network, GPs, primary care services – etc cover up to 50 K practices.  Where are these groups locally.

Jason to ask Claire Roberts, Suresh also to check.

NHS long term plan – see attached NOC report. Dudley has a clinic – healthy living etc. – smoking etc. & Nottingham.

Chaaban feels LOC needs to do more to upskill their members. Discussed with various LOCs – how can we move forward to ‘upskill’. We already have MECS, Glaucoma 1 & 2. Is Glaucoma 2 sufficient for managing Glaucoma in practice? No.

Staffordshire LOC- agreed certain fees for distant learning courses. Subsidies from Stafford is £650 per member for 50% for the entry fee – must register to get into system – when certified get the money back.

Who is in our community with Glaucoma 1 and Glaucoma 2 & go further on pathways to Glaucoma 3. LOCSU will fund Glaucoma 1 & Glaucoma 2. Give codes from LOCSU.

LOC chairman Staffordshire – same as WOPEC. Contact the college to see if the WOPEC course is equal to the one certified by the College. Are we able to support Optometrists in the area to upskill?

MECS/WOPEC accreditation meeting in Worcesterhire, can we do this?  Need to arrange CET in Feb. Sub Committee are planning on getting together to create a CET event (Subcommittee Susan, Chaaban, Suresh, Sukhi, Raj). Could be worthwhile holding another MECS Part 2 accreditation event.

Newly qualified staff are already getting the qualification because they have to. It’s the longer serving Optometrists that may need to push.

To do a letter/survey – Dilesh & Chabaan. @ Warwick Arms Hotel.

Partnership Board Meeting

Joy/Dilesh attended the Partnership Board meeting. Groups of local representatices from across different parts of Coventry and Warwickshire, Councils, MPs, GPs, Hospitals etc… have got together in order to tackle key tasks for there NHS agenda.They are looking at creating a forum for all health care professionals to communicate. Ophthalmology is not currently high on their agenda.

Joy & Dilesh meeting with Prof Chris Ham – happy to consult with different areas – when minutes come through – we will know.

Changes at UHCW

Eye Casualty is over-run. So many px going into eye casualty – post op clinics can’t cope.

Decided to close the door to walk ins – go anywhere – ie pharmacist, GP etc where they can refer & they will take them. Special form to fill out.

Out of hours – A&E. Walk in px to go to A&E.

Set up a protocol (with UHCW/Warwick etc) & give a phone no to px for them to ring?

If all Optometrists upskill this will help the situation.  Which practices have an OCT?

AOB

Russell – stepping down as hasn’t been able to give the time – so warning for the AGM. (good time to add to an email?)

Primary roles description? Roles and responsibilities could all officers please write down their own roles and responsibilities.

Kiran happy to do a blog to LOC members & then possibly pass out to practices.

Optometry Apprenticeship -There may be apprenticeships routes – no pre reg year. Discussions from both sides regarding pros and cons of an Optometry Apprenticeship.

The next meeting is at The Almanack, Kenilworth on Thursday 23^rd January 2020       this has been confirmed. (Francesca apologies as cannot attend)

There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.50pm.

 

Your LOC is launching members’ forum for clinical support, professional guidance or innovative ideas that can be exchanged between members. New discussion will be created by any member, selected and monitored by your LOC Communication Officer Chaaban Zeidan. To be part of the forum group; you need to log in to the LOC website. All replies will be respected and monitored to ensure impartiality, professional ethic and College guidelines. Thank you for your support.

some optometrists have yet to submit their CET grant claim! Either unsure if they can claim putting it off  unril last minute;

If you are an optometrist who has performed General Ophthalmic Services (GOS),                     You are entitled to claim an NHS grant for CET you took in 2018.

Are you eligible to claim?
To be eligible to claim the CET allowance in the relevant period you must have:

• Been on the relevant ophthalmic list for at least six months
• Undertaken GOC-approved CET
• has performed General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) contract,

How and when to claim
The claims window for England and Wales is 1 July – 31 October 2019.

Claims in England and Wales have to be made through a GOS contractor.

 

I have been asked to look into providing an CET evening on  Corneal Abnormalities– This can be a CET evening or Peer review Evening for Optometrists, Pre Reg Optometrists  and Specialist Optometrists – If you are inetersted please let me know so we can organise the CET event!

Chaaban Zeidan-  Communication Officer

Jane Kempton– an officer of the C&W LOC is cycling from Canterbury to ROME in support of Sheffield Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (also known as Sheffield Rape Crisis)

This is a specialist service offering free and confidential support to help to empower anyone (over 13 years old) who has experienced rape or sexual abuse at any times in their lives.

Any donations to this very worthy cause can be made to Jane’s JustGiving page;

https://www.justgiving.com/kemptonfamily?utm_source=Whatsapp.

We all wish Jane and her family a safe return and “good weather”!

chaaban Zeidan – Communication officer

 

We have just received notification from PCSE that the window for submitting 2019 CET claims to PCSE opened on 1 July and closes on 31 October. The PCSE online service offers the quickest, simplest and easiest route to make a claim.

Phone: 0333 014 2884
Email:  https://pcse.england.nhs.uk/help/ophthalmic-payments/cet-claims/

To submit a CET claim, please follow these steps:
Complete the 2019 CET claim form, issued by the Department of Health and Social Care, in full
Please ensure you include the Ophthalmic Performer List (OPL) number on the form
Sign and date the form in the appropriate place(s)
Upload the signed form and submit via the PCSE website:
Open the ‘Enquiries form’ on the Contact Us page
Select ‘CET Claim’ from the drop down menu
Complete all the mandatory fields on the online submission form
The CET claim form comprises three pages which can either be uploaded all together as one document or you can upload one page at a time using the ‘Add Document’ button
Once all the correct information has been provided, the CET claim can be submitted
A confirmation screen will confirm the submission has been successful

or if you wish to Post :

Primary Care Support England, PO Box 350, Darlington, DL1 9QNck

Please do not wait until end of October to submit you claim-. Any questions around CET claims need to be submitted to PCSE.

Many thanks.

Chaaban Zeidan

Dear colleagues
The LOC is introducing a forum for members to join in discussion of cases created by a member, posted onto the forum and for Communication officer to update and post for the user group. the format will be presented in the following example:
Discussion details:
Group: C&W LOC Forum
Created by: XXXXX -edited by Chaaban Zeidan
Date and time posted: 13th July 2019- 11:20
Title: Emergency attendance in Practice
Meassage:
Dear all
I saw a 39 yrs old 8/12 pregnant patient who attended my practice today with sudden blurring central vision when looking into her telephone but normal peripheral vision- central blurring is better if looks sideways on telephone. Normally wears -3.00 IDMJJ CL EE and claims has had CL check few weeks ago and was told unremarable findings!
what is next move and how should  we handle this case?