Plans announced by the Association of Optometrists (AOP) to launch a range of new services and product developments could put 10 jobs at risk, the organisation has revealed.
The AOP said it was currently consulting on the creation of 12 new posts, which would include experts in business development and IT and envisaged that all staff would have the opportunity to reapply for one of the newly created roles. The results of the consultation are expected in August.
Richard Carswell, interim chief executive of the AOP said: 'The AOP hopes to minimise the impact on individuals but recruitment from within won't be possible in every case.' Carswell added that the proposed restructure comes at a critical point, defined by reduced income, increasing competition, a more litigious society and pressures on clinicians to become more commercial.
The plans, due to be rolled out in 2013, aim to increase business and marketing support, as well as in areas such as employment law and career development. State-of-the-art online and interactive distance- learning facilities were also said to be among the AOP's plans.
'The AOP is the established leader for professional malpractice insurance and legal defence work for the profession and we intend to maintain the quality of what we do in these areas. We must, however, realign resources from areas that are not directly service-related, or where resources exceed member demand, to invest in areas critical to the new and emerging challenges our members face,' said Carswell.