Neil Retallic, Head of Professional Development
I arrive at Birmingham’s International Convention Centre for Specsavers’ Professional Advancement Conference (PAC) just in time to catch the end of Neil Retallic’s session; we have arranged to meet to discuss his role in organising the conference. Retallic is on stage with Specsavers Opticians’ director of professional advancement, Paul Morris, and both are talking passionately about the early detection of glaucoma.
‘I want to see at least a third of optometrists holding a higher qualification,’ Morris tells a packed hall of eye care professionals (ECPs). He is willing to demonstrate his commitment by assuring ECPs that Specsavers will help to fund their studies.
To avoid disturbing the session, I linger at the back with the audio-visual tech support, but there is little chance of anyone hearing us. The hall is so large and stage so far, that I only recognise the speakers from their voices. Such is the scale of the PAC conference.
With the audience sufficiently inspired, the session draws to a close. I make my way to the front to meet Retallic as arranged. Having collaborated with him on various projects, over the past decade or so, I have a good insight into how much he cares about optometric education. It is good to see him in his element.
This is the second PAC conference Retallic has organised since joining Specsavers in 2022. I immediately ask how they have managed to attract such a large crowd, of more than 2,000 delegates, especially so close to the end of the CPD cycle.
‘I think PAC is not just about CPD,’ says Retallic. ‘It’s about networking, meeting people, sharing experiences about patient care, and a chance to complete those peer reflections.’
Retallic explains how at the core of PAC is an ambition to deliver best practice patient care and Specsavers understands the need to invest in its colleagues to achieve this goal. He says the drive to improve is not limited to test room clinical skills alone: ‘There are other relevant qualities that can be developed.’
Having looked at the programme, I can attest that this all rings true. There are sessions dedicated to topics such as supervision, handling complaints, dispensing and getting involved with charity organisations.
Globally, Specsavers employs over 46,000 people; I wonder how it manages to cater training needs for both more experienced ECPs, as well as those who are newly qualified.
‘We’re offering support at every level.’ Retallic explains that, in addition to funding higher qualifications offering virtual and face-to-face CPD, Specsavers has dedicated training programmes aimed at supporting newly qualified (Specsavers’ Excel programme) and experienced practitioners (the ACE or Advancing Clinical Excellence programme).
Meanwhile, there is also a Newmedica Ophthalmologist-led track at PAC with content specifically aimed at specialist optometrists; pre-regs also have their own dedicated trainee track, as so do dispensing opticians for dispensing advancement.
Consideration is given to the various career pathways: ‘Our sessions, which are open to all, cover a wide range of relevant topics across the sector, for example, ECPs working in the domiciliary field and trainee contact lens optician practical slit lamp skills sessions. We even have Wales Optometry Postgraduate Education Centre examinations taking place today,’ he adds.
To ensure PAC remains relevant, Retallic reviews delegate feedback and uses it to shape sessions and plan future agendas. This year, foreign body removal has proven to be a particularly popular topic.
Also, the mini-PACs (smaller PAC events run across the country and online) are tailored for different locations, eg there may be more focus on independent prescriber (IP) content in Scotland. Attention to detail extends to all elements of the conference; I note that even the venue’s spotlights have been turned a familiar Specsavers green.
Planning for PAC is not just limited to the educational agenda, there is also the exhibition to consider. To support trainees, the College of Optometrists is in attendance, and in line with Specsavers’ collaborations with the third sector, several charities are also exhibiting. ‘Whether you’re a dispensing optician, contact lens optician, optometrist, IP qualified or a pre-reg, there’s something for everyone,’ says Retallic.
As I make my way through the exhibition, I recognise the company names, but the stands look markedly different to other trade shows and conferences. Many of the contact lens solutions, lenses and eye drops by big name optical companies have been Specsavers branded. It is an opportunity to peek behind the curtain.
I stop to catch up with some familiar faces and everyone seems to appreciate PAC is unlike other UK meetings. ‘Can you believe I ran out of information packs in just the first hour? The first hour!’ exclaims one exhibitor who has underestimated demand.
Paul Carroll, Director of Professional Services
‘I’ve been given a bottle of port,’ Paul Carroll tells me, as Specsavers’ industry engagement manager, Will Green, takes a photograph of him standing in front of a large green stand celebrating PAC’s 30th anniversary. As creator of the inaugural PAC, this is clearly much more than a professional milestone.
Carroll explains he attended a dinner the previous evening, which recognised the efforts of Specsavers’ pioneering directors and employees (that is where he was presented with the port). I am struck by the juxtaposition between Specsavers being a large multinational organisation, yet managing to retain a close-knit relationship with those who helped lay its foundations. Carroll attributes this to a flat structure. He tells me that if someone has a good idea at Specsavers, the company will try to put funding behind it.
I ask about the early days of PAC. ‘Back then, CPD wasn’t compulsory. We still had around 300 attendees though. One educational stream and it was simple, just a lecturer on a stage.’ Carroll recalls how the pre-PowerPoint era meant speakers would carry presentations on glass mounted slides. I am stunned: “No back-ups?” Carroll pauses to think for a moment: ‘No, but we did get an overhead projector.’ I vow to never complain about PowerPoint again.
We are sitting opposite the registration desk where staff have been scanning in delegates on arrival. ‘Everything was done by hand originally, pen and paper,’ Carroll explains. Simple tech changes, such as using barcodes, helped scale-up the PAC conference. There is now a whole support team dedicated to PAC.
Originally, it was organised by Carroll, one colleague and, much to my amusement, he tells me he convinced his mother-in-law to help prepare the delegate bags. While there have been changes in the technology used to deliver the conference, the location has remained the same. Birmingham’s ICC has played host to all but one of the main in-person PAC conferences.
Over the years, the conference has grown to be a key fixture of the CPD calendar. Carroll explains how PAC evolved to include hands-on workshops, multiple tracks, inclusion of audiology and international speakers. There appears to be a particular focus on looking for opportunities to extend the scope of practice and upskilling ECPs to ensure they are ready to move into new areas of patient care.
Carroll makes the point that due to its sheer size, the way Specsavers advances is ultimately how the profession is advancing. He lays out his vision for optometrists to become the ‘GPs of the eye’, something that could be achieved through ECPs assuming greater responsibility in primary eye care.
He stresses that Specsavers is keen to do as much as it can and to use its size to gain momentum for these new initiatives.
As we come to the end of our conversation, I ask Carroll what it has been like to hand over the reins at PAC and what he would like his PAC legacy to be, he responds humbly: ‘It’s in very good hands. We have a support team who are all far better than I ever was… it will continue to flourish.’
Paul Morris, Director of Professional Advancement
‘Do you know one in four people are not accessing any eye care?’ Paul Morris is on a mission to educate both ECPs and the public.
He talks about the multi-pronged approach Specsavers is taking to address key issues in eye care, though his present focus is on glaucoma. ‘We want to continue funding our practitioners to pursue higher qualifications, IP, glaucoma and medical retina. We’re removing barriers and inviting people to take up training.’
Morris is aware that it is the more experienced ECPs who he will have to convince; the new Education and Training Requirements (ETR) mean newly qualified optometrists will already have advanced clinical studies integrated into their training programmes. ‘Don’t get left behind,’ he says half-jokingly.
Morris acknowledges hurdles to learning may extend beyond finances, explaining that ECPs who qualified some years ago may be hesitant at the prospect of returning to formal education. He shares his personal experience of returning to learning, recognising the challenges in finding time to study and the apprehension around taking exams.
He wants those who have pursued the higher qualifications to engage with and encourage others by sharing stories of their experiences. As a result, Specsavers has been proactive in supporting learners through a centralised support system with access to blended learning and, of course, events such as PAC.
I ask him why glaucoma is the focus. Why not, for example, age-related macular degeneration? Morris remarks that the largely symptomless nature of glaucoma is a factor. He suggests that in the absence of symptoms, there may be less impetus for someone to book an eye test. ‘Nobody comes in and says, I’m here because I’ve got a notch on my optic nerve and raised intraocular pressure.’ He goes on to discuss the wider impact ECPs could have and how early detection and prevention might help reduce the societal cost of sight loss.
We consider the difficulties in raising public awareness of eye conditions but, as I am discovering is typical of Specsavers, it is already making efforts to address this challenge. If a patient at high risk of glaucoma attends a Specsavers practice, this is flagged and patients are invited to sign up to the Glaucoma UK mailing list. It means the patient begins receiving support and information directly from the charity; again, reducing barriers.
It is, however, more difficult to reach patients who are not already part of the practice. Morris suggests that social media and word of mouth can help; patients at risk of glaucoma will likely have relatives at risk of glaucoma.
He wants people to speak to their friends and family about the importance of having a sight test, meaning they hear about eye care from the people they trust. ‘With one in four people not accessing regular care there is much to do, and of course, half of all sight loss is preventable if detected early.’
Specsavers’ size also means it is easier for it to engage in lobbying for changes to funding and ECPs’ scope of practice. Morris highlights Specsavers’ presence at political party conferences as an example of trying to highlight the value of the sector to decision makers. He remains hopeful about the potential of new legislature to help equality of access to clinical care schemes.
As impressive as this all sounds, the cynic in me wants to know what happens if postcode lotteries prevent clinical pathways from being funded? Surely, for Specsavers, the lack of return on investment will be a problem. Will it continue to invest in higher qualifications? Morris shrugs: ‘It would be very disappointing if the postcode lottery remained, but it wouldn’t change our approach.’
He is thinking of the broader picture, explaining that Specsavers’ investment in its workforce is what matters. Whatever the future holds for eye care funding, Specsavers’ aim is upskilling its workforce so ECPs are better qualified to deliver better patient care.
- With thanks to William Green, industry engagement manager, and Dr Philippa Simkiss, PR lead – industry engagement.
