ABDO chief attacks lack of CET funding

This was the message from Association of Dispensing Opticians president Eric Hall when he addressed last weekend's ABDO conference at Chateaux Impney, Droitwich Spa. Mr Hall attacked the lack of funding for optical continuing education when compared with other health professions. 'If you look at the other healthcare professions and what they do and how they are funded for CET, it's frightening the amount given to the optical profession - it's so small. 'I'm told a doctor gets &\#163;2,000 a year spent on CET, pharmacists and dentists get between &\#163;140-&\#163;180. Optometrists get &\#163;58 per year. 'There is something wrong when we're being asked, by law, to take on compulsory CET, when we're not being given the funding necessary.' Mr Hall told delegates ABDO was working hard to secure funding for CET, but if dispensing opticians were reinstated to 'General Ophthalmic Services provider' status it would make the process of funding easier, and there would be more avenues open to release CET funds. 'We do not want the cake being handed out as DOCET funding to our ophthalmic cousins. We don't want that split down - what we want is new money.' He said that attempts by the General Optical Council to bring in compulsory CET made it important for DOs to be ready to accept the challenge. 'In all the area meetings I have attended there has not yet been anyone who has come up to me and asked 'Why do we need to do CET?'. The questions are 'When are we going to have CET made compulsory?' 'How are we to get better area coverage for CET?', and 'How are we going to have it funded?'' He commented that ABDO had been making advances on CET for some time with pilot schemes to make the changeover from voluntary to compulsory CET 'seamless'. - See Comment, page 15