A General Optical Council investigation has been launched after a video was published on social media featuring a member of Specsavers staff explaining how the practice had been operating in the latter-stages of lockdown, potentially breaching rules on essential eye care implemented by NHS England during the outbreak of Covid-19.
In the video, the staff member, who Optician understands to be a joint venture partner, detailed how the practice had a significant increase in the number of walk-in patients, had seen increases in the number of eye test forward bookings and claimed that patients had brought their custom to the practice while other opticians in the areas were closed. The staff member also highlighted that patient flow was managed by employees outside of the practice and showed the social distancing measures put in place.
‘We have received several complaints about a video of a Specsavers store which suggests they are carrying out routine eye tests,’ the Council said in a Twitter post. ‘Our fitness to practise team is considering this matter in line with our rules and legislation.’
Many in the profession were quick to make their feelings known via social media platforms. The GOC’s tweet announcing the investigation was the regulator’s most popular tweet recently, with 94 retweets, 225 likes and 55 replies. There was widespread condemnation of the practice’s alleged actions, including from people who claimed to work for Specsavers.
Responding to the content in the video, Giles Edmonds, Specsavers clinical services director told Optician: ‘The video that has appeared on social media featuring an individual Specsavers colleague does not represent the overall company’s view and is disappointing as it appears misleading about the intention and motivation of our thousands of committed professionals across the nation.
‘The mandate given to our partners in England is very clear – to stringently adhere to all the current NHS England and professional guidelines. No patient can be seen without a full triage to determine in the store professional’s judgement whether they can be seen under the definition of essential care.’
Deep concern
The Association of Optometrists said the video was of the deepest concern, adding that the AOP had been contacted by many of its members. ‘The claims made in the video about “stealing” patients and revenue from other practices will concern everyone in the sector, especially when so many dedicated optical staff are without work or being asked to accept lower rates.
‘This is a single example of things going wrong. We very much hope it is an isolated incident and that Specsavers will ensure that is the case,’ said AOP chief executive Henrietta Alderman.
The College of Optometrists elected not to reference Specsavers directly, but in a statement issued last week, the organisation said it recognised the ‘considerable frustration’ at the reports which suggested some practices may have been breaking national guidelines and providing routine eye care appointments that were not essential or urgent/emergency.
‘National policies have made it clear that at present, practices can only provide essential and urgent/emergency eye care,’ a College statement said.
Crucially, the College added: ‘This definition is open to some degree of professional judgement, to enable practitioners to act in patients’ best interests, but that does not mean business as usual.’
Last week the Optometric Fees Negotiating Committee (OFNC) announced an expanded range of situations where patient needs could be deemed as essential. A range of examples were included by the OFNC, such as patients who required an appointment due to clinical risk factors that were being monitored by the clinician.
‘While in the initial stages of the pandemic deferring these appointments was acceptably low risk and justified when balanced against the risks of providing face-to-face care, the passage of time since the last examination may now have increased the risk to the point where the patient’s needs now fall within the definition of essential care,’ the OFNC said.
