Few complaints

The optical profession is due a collective pat on the back in its dealings with the public, going by the latest Optical Consumer Complaints Service report.

This reveals that 846 complaints were received in 2005, which, when considering the number of eye examinations and transactions taking place yearly, and the supposedly more litigious society we live in, does not seem like an overly large number. Of these, there were only 9 per cent about prescriptions, 37.5 per cent about dispensing and another 21 per cent on varifocals.

What is even more heartening is that standards of professionalism among practitioners in handling complaints are going up, with dispensing opticians and optometrists resolving complaints rather than being ‘aggressive towards an adversary’. In fact, most opticians went out of their way to resolve optical difficulties for patients, ‘often at considerable extra expense to themselves’.

As with any school report, there is always room for improvement. Here the OCCS noted that many of the issues around complaints involved communications. Some cases could be better dealt with in the practice, with more care taken by practitioners when explaining and listening.

That said, opportunities abound for improved communications, from training at universities for students through to a plethora of appropriate CET for those in practice. With the latter in mind, a quick trawl of the ABDO website alone reveals a recent talk on ‘Communicating with patients with patience’ and forthcoming events such as ‘Problem solving with progressive lenses’.

In news just out from the GOC, which collects a £7 registration fee levy for the service, contractors are being tendered for its provision thanks to its expenditure being close to the limit. One can only hope that any resulting change does not undo the good work being carried out at present.