We’re excited to announce the winners of our ‘Day in the Life of an Orthoptic Student’ video competition as Laura, Hannah, Fatimah, Isla and Sara, Orthoptics students at GCU. We had some great entries. Thank you to everyone who took part. Check out the winning video below.
3rd-8th March is National Careers Week (NCW), and we’re grabbing the chance to make a big noise about the fantastic opportunities available in a career in orthoptics. Find out how you can get involved below. If you have any questions about our visibility and careers work, you get in touch via [email protected]. 1. Help us name our new orthoptic mascots! We're introducing two new mascots for NCW and are asking children (and orthoptists!) to help us in naming them. We've got colouring in sheets, posters, and sticker designs to help you promote this within your department [...]
Number of people with glaucoma, AMD and cataracts set to increase over the next 10 years New online tool will be a critical planning resource for commissioners and providers of eye health care Eye disease is a major contributor to national health service backlogs, and the number of cases is set to significantly increase with an ageing population. Organisations from across the UK’s eye care sector, including the British and Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS) and led by The College of Optometrists, have collaborated to launch the new UK Eye Care Data Hub to support health care commissioners and providers plan [...]
The impact report of the UK Allied Health Professionals (AHP) Public Health Strategic Framework (2019-2024) was published in January and demonstrates the significant progress made by the AHP community to embed public health into practice. Deputy Chief AHP Officer for England Linda Hindle and student dietician Kyle Kennedy explain the progress made by Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) in the latest impact report. The 2019-24 UK AHP Public Health Strategic Framework was the first example of a collaborative four nation professional approach to public health for allied health professionals. It was developed by the UK nations and the AHP [...]
BIOS endorse and welcome the shared professional statement from the Chief Allied Health Professions Officers in each of the four UK countries on Advanced practice in the Allied Health Professions (AHPs). Tha statement was produced in order to provide clarity for leaders and decision makers about how advanced practice for the allied health professions is defined, regulated and governed. We believe this statement provides an important and valuable shared definition of advanced practice for AHPs across all four nations. This will guide professional development and foster a shared understanding of advanced practice principles across the healthcare system. Definitions [...]
A pioneering apprenticeship has been launched that will create new opportunities for people to train as orthoptists, helping to tackle growing vision problems in children and adults across England. For the first time, aspiring orthoptists – specialists who diagnose and treat vision and eye movement disorders – can now train through paid apprenticeships in their local NHS hospitals, rather than having to relocate to attend university courses in Liverpool, Sheffield or London. The timing is crucial, with childhood vision problems on the rise and waiting lists for eye care services growing. Orthoptists play a vital role in identifying and treating [...]
This week is AHP Support Worker Week, a chance to shine the spotlight on, and highlight, our fabulous Orthoptic and Ophthalmic Support Workforce. To mark the occasion, we've launched a whole new careers section, highlighting roles within the support workforce. This includes a page with details on how to become an orthoptic clinical assistant, details on what might be involved, and case studies and videos giving more details. As part of BIOS’s commitment to support and develop all areas of its workforce, we're also using the opportunity to share some of the work we have been doing over the [...]
It is with great sadness that we learnt of the passing of Carolyn Calcutt, the former Chair of BIOS from 1974 to 1981. Carolyn had a long and distinguished career in orthoptics and was a true leader in the field, having a direct influence on the careers of many orthoptists across the UK. Carolyn trained at Moorfields Eye Hospital, City Road and then worked at the Royal Eye Hospital in Southwark. In 1973 Carolyn became Head Orthoptist at the Charing Cross Hospital, the post most orthoptists associate her with, where she remained, increasing the reputation of the hospital for [...]
NHS England has published the Prior Information Notice (PIN) in relation to Sight Testing and Dispensing and Dental Checks in Special Educational Settings, giving details of how they intend to engage with potential providers. This includes a series of discussion webinars between 26 November and 5 December. 2023 Engagement Report The NHS England engagement report was published in 2023. In this, NHS England has proposed a few changes to the proof of concept (POC) programme. The main change is that each child will only be entitled to one pair of glasses in line with GOS voucher amounts, in line with [...]
During the month of November, starting on Monday 4th, we are conducting a full UK-wide Workforce Activity Survey. Run every two years, the survey is of significant importance to ensure that we have a clear profile of the current workforce and their clinical and non-clinical activity. This will be used to help discussions at local, regional and national levels and provide clear benchmarking data along with future predictions of workforce for the profession. Heads should have received all of the documentation by email, but this is available to download from this page. This survey is not just for BIOS members [...]