26 February 2021

Member update – 26 February 2021

In this member update

• Optometrists to support the vaccination programme
• Vaccination update
• CORU registration deadline approaching
• New Vision Atlas - Ireland data
• HSE 2021 National Service Plan published
• Diabetic retinopathy programme introduces two-yearly pathway
• Appointment to the Optical Registration Board

Optometrists to support the vaccination programme

On 23 February 2021, the Minister for Health signed S.I. No. 81 of 2021 to add registered optometrists (and dentists) to the list of healthcare workers who, with appropriate training, can supply and administer COVID-19 vaccinations as part of the national programme.

The Medicinal Products (Prescription and Control of Supply) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2021 was laid and distributed 25 February and will be published in Iris Oifigiúil today, 26th February 2021.

Vaccination update

Vaccination roll out to optical practices is still not going smoothly in all locations with continuing issues with the portal and registration. FODO Ireland has been in ongoing contact with the Department of Health and HSE about this.   

CHO Area 5 is now operating a manual list route to help resolve these issues in that area. 

Could FODO members in Offaly, Longford, Westmeath, Louth and Meath please resend this completed spreadsheet (in respect of optometrists, dispensing assistants, optical assistants, administrative, glazing and audiology staff) to [email protected] and they will be invited for vaccination at hospital centres as soon as possible.

It may be that other CHO Areas will follow suit and, if so, we will let members know immediately. 

In the meantime please continue to contact the HSE as set out in our 12 February update. The HSE is now responding to queries after an initial delay. If that fails, please email us at [email protected] and we will follow up with the Department of Health and HSE on your behalf.

Thank you again for your persistence and patience as HSE staff seek to get everyone vaccinated as soon as possible.  

CORU registration deadline approaching

Dispensing opticians and optometrists must renew their registration by 31 March 2021. Renew your registration now.

Registrants might be able to claim tax relief on CORU registration fees. Learn more.

New Vision Atlas - Ireland data

The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) Friends of Vision Group launched the Vision Atlas at a UN Friends of Vision Group meeting on 24 February.

UN Ambassadors from Ireland, Bangladesh and Antigua & Barbuda organised the meeting, which President of the UN General Assembly HE Volkan Bozkir addressed.

The World Council of Optometry (WCO) said the Vision Atlas "contains important new estimates on the causes, magnitude and projections of vision loss from The Vision Loss Expert Group (VLEG), as well as key evidence from the recently launched The Lancet Global Health Commission on Global Eye Health".

The Vision Atlas allows you to compare Ireland eye care data with other countries. It estimates 270,000 (5.3%) people in Ireland have a vision loss, of which 9,000 people are blind (0.2% of the population).

It also notes there are over 13,000 cataract surgeries per year, which is about 2,700 per million population, making Ireland rank 56 out of 176 countries. There are 180 ophthalmologists and 770 optometrists on its workforce.

View the Vision Atlas Ireland data.  Don't forget, FODO Ireland members can also access data on our data hub. 

HSE 2021 National Service Plan published

This week, the HSE published The National Service Plan 2021.

The plan confirms the 2021 HSE budget is €20.623bn. This includes €1.1bn "to deliver permanent and enduring improvements in healthcare arising from the Sláintecare reform programme".

HSE Chief Executive Officer Paul Reid said: "The financial resources now available to the health service present us with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to really change how we deliver healthcare in Ireland."

The plan describes work to "improv[e] patient safety and keep the population healthy and well" and to "support[ing] people living at home with lifelong conditions", including: 

• Enhancing primary preventive services and partnerships
• Reforming services to support the growing and ageing population better
• Delivering care as close to the patient as possible through enhancing primary and community care.

There are also plans to "roll out a fully integrated online application process for those wishing to apply for or renew their eligibility" under the General Medical Service.

• Read the HSE press release
• Read the National Service Plan 2021

Once the Covid crisis is over, FODO Ireland will seek to re-engage with HSE to deliver the Primary Care Eye Services Review Group Report's recommendations in the context of the above commitments and as part of post-COVID recovery capacity building.

Diabetic retinopathy programme introduces two-yearly pathway

The national diabetic retinal screening programme, Diabetic RetinaScreen (DRS), has introduced a two-yearly screening pathway for participants who received a result of 'no retinopathy' from their previous two screenings.

Professor David Keegan, Clinical Director of DRS, said: "International evidence shows that if a person has two consecutive results of 'no retinopathy', it is safe for them to attend their screening appointment every two years. People who have had two consecutive results of 'no retinopathy' have been found to be at very low risk of progressing to retinopathy between screens."

Minister Donnelly said he "was happy to approve this recommendation from the National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC), following their rigorous and independent assessment of the evidence in line with international best practice".

Read the HSE statement

Appointment to the Optical Registration Board

The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, has appointed Paul Hersee, a registered dispensing optician, as a member of the Optical Registration Board. The appointment will last from 11 February 2021 to 10 February 2025. Read more.