Large pockets of the optical jobs market continue to face difficulties as major UK cities grow in popularity for those seeking work.
New data collected by Prospect Health reinforces previous studies that show an imbalance of healthcare professionals across England, but better supply in the devolved nations.
Among the findings were that 39% of all GOC-registered staff are located in London, the South East and North West, while London alone accounts for 16.42%.
Mike Bowen, director of research for the College of Optometrists, told Optician that a number of the statistics provided by the Prospect Health survey correlate with the information published in its own Optical Workforce Survey (OWS) earlier this year.
Bowen said: ‘The gaps in supply are likely to be linked to a number of factors: locations of university courses; the market effect on the location of optical practices; the impact of the growth in part-time working; and lifestyle and cultural preferences of the workforce.’
The Prospect Health data showed that London has a relatively generous ratio of one practitioner to 2,025 patients. Yet in the South East more broadly, while the region has more GOC-registered DOs than Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales combined, there is only one practitioner for every 3,038 people.
[CaptionComponent="2468"]But the South East fares much better than the North East which has a ratio of one professional per 3,715 people.
Age-related demand
The survey revealed that the areas with high demand for eye care professionals tend to also have older populations, with the three eastern regions of England all in the top five in terms of percentage of the population over-65.
Meanwhile, south-west England has the highest proportion of people over 65 –19.58%, some 3% more than Yorkshire and the Humber region which has the same size population.
David Thomas, director of optometry at Prospect Health, said: ‘In our interactions with optometrists and dispensing opticians in the South West, it is noticeable that they seem to be a little more stretched than in some other locations in the UK, as so many of their patients have more intense or specialised needs.’
Celtic advantages
While England was shown in the survey to be failing to provide a comprehensive health service across the nation, Prospect Health found that Northern Ireland and Scotland had an above average professional-to-person ratio for the UK as a whole.
‘As we recruit all across the UK, we’ve definitely found that optometrists are harder to come by in some regions – certainly the North East,’ added Thomas. ‘It seems that many newly-qualified optical workers would rather stay near to where they studied or close to their family, which does have an effect on some areas of the country.’
Prospect Health’s survey data was compiled from all GOC registrants, and regional figures taken from the ONS. It also used data on 8,542 vacancies advertised between July-September 2015.
Following its release, Optician invited a range of professionals around the country (see panels) to respond to the survey’s findings.
There was broad consensus across the sector that the presence of most optometry schools in major urban areas was a key reason for England’s patchy spread of eye care professionals.
Those who responded to the survey include representatives from Plymouth University, where in 2011 an optometry school was set up specifically to tackle the shortage of graduates settling in the south west of England.
[CaptionComponent="2469"]Kiki Soteri, lecturer in optometry and admissions tutor at Plymouth University, said graduates were staying put in Plymouth, while Chris Howarth, director of Specsavers recruitment, flagged up the incentive of higher salaries in hard-to-fill areas.
Meanwhile, Cornwall-based independent owner Jeremy Franklin agreed that recruiting in the county has its difficulties due to its remote location.
He told Optician: ‘It’s not just about how many applicants there are to fill a position. More worrying is the quality of the applicants coming forward.
‘We concentrate too much on academic ability when we recruit students into either optometry or dispensing. It seems our colleges are focused firmly on entry grades rather than whether someone will make a good optometrist or DO.
‘Top of my recruitment list is: does the applicant have a vocation to be an optom or DO, are they passionate about their work, do they understand that their career is a lifetime of listening, learning and changing? If the answer is “yes” then they are worth considering.
He also said a degree doesn’t automatically make a good practitioner. ‘Get our education and selection process right and we can begin to make recruitment easier for everyone,’ he added.
[CaptionComponent="2470"]‘Graduates stay put’
Kiki Soteri, lecturer in optometry and admissions tutor, Plymouth University
‘The chronic under-supply of optometrists in the South West was one of the reasons that the BSc (Hons) Optometry course was founded here at Plymouth University five years ago.
‘One of the key features of our course is the incorporation of practice placements across a variety of settings (multiple, independent and hospital) during every academic year. This helps our undergraduates forge links with potential employers and give them a broader overview of the professional landscape, supporting their decision making when it comes to choosing their graduate pre-registration jobs.
‘Every year since 2011, approximately 20% of each new cohort is from the south west of England, suggesting that many of those applicants who already live in this region tend to make us their firm choice. From the first cohort of 28 graduates in 2014, nine (>30%) of these remain in the south west today.’
[CaptionComponent="2471"]‘Higher salaries help’
Chris Howarth, director of Specsavers recruitment
‘The easiest areas to recruit to are those nearest to the established universities and major population centres. So, Manchester and most of the North West, Birmingham and most of the Midlands, North London, Bradford, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh and so on.
‘Generally, the further away from the universities and major population centres, the harder it gets. Cornwall, large parts of the south coast, Kent, the North East and east coast generally, Cumbria, rural Wales and Scotland.
‘Not surprisingly far higher salaries are on offer in these hard to fill areas, usually accompanied by relocation expenses in one form or another, where appropriate.
‘We must acknowledge that we now have a workforce which is becoming predominantly female and family ties and the general support infrastructure are probably a very significant influencing factor in the decision to relocate or not.’
‘London-centric world’
Stephen Hopkinson, managing partner and DO Roger Pope opticians, New Cavendish Street, London
‘In the main I think we have to accept that the country is very London-centric, due to the dynamic nature of its economy. Obviously this effects the rest of the South East in a “positive” way.
‘The resulting metropolitan outlook is a draw to young newly qualified optoms and DOs. I imagine the percentages quoted for eye care professionals might also be reflected in the percentages for other ancillary medics such as dentists and podiatrists.
‘The trick is to try to promote the rest of the UK as an attractive alternative to London and the South East, because of cheaper housing, for example. It’s not an easy task.
‘I am not entirely convinced there is a shortage of eye care professionals but rather that this is an illusion created by the multiples. It suits their business model to create an oversupply of optoms and DOs which then helps suppress salaries.
‘I am now nearing the end of my dispensing career and I find it depressing that the role of the dispenser has over the years been gradually devalued. This at a time when the complexities of accurate dispensing have never been greater.
‘Since the long term aim of ABDO is for dispensers to undertake rudimentary refractions, I cannot see how this would benefit the role of dispensing, but would likely further depress the earning potential of optometrists. It certainly would not lead to an increase in the mobility of my profession.’