Members of the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) will have an opportunity to voice their concerns in person over the direction in which the Association is moving during an Open Forum to be held next month.
The move follows concerns raised by some members that the Association has not done enough to defend their interests on issues such as the General Optical Council's one-fee approach, which sees dispensing opticians subject to the same registration fees as optometrists. In recent weeks several ABDO members have written to Optician expressing their frustration (Letters, January 23 and 30), at what they believe is ABDO's inaction over key issues.
In a posting on the Association's website announcing the event, ABDO president Barry Duncan wrote: 'We feel that holding this event will be beneficial to members who have recently voiced concerns and we encourage them to attend, as upon explanation of our aims and objectives, we feel confident we can offset their fears and trust that they might subsequently feel comfortable with the direction we are moving in and with the progress that is actually being achieved.
'Obviously it provides us with a valuable opportunity to listen to what those who attend think and feel. Additionally, we will look to collate the information discussed on the day and publish this in a news bulletin for all members to see,' he added.
The Open Forum will be held on March 4 and ABDO's London office and will commence at 2pm.
More details at: www.abdo.org