An online petition to stop the formation of a new optometry course at the University of Hertfordshire (News 17.01.14) and for the introduction of a cap on the number of optometry courses in the UK has attracted nearly 1,400 signatures.
The Stop Hertfordshire organisers said the creation of the new course would lead to an over-saturated optometry jobs market and that the campaign was an attempt to bring it back under control.
‘Graduate optometrists will not be able to complete their training as a result of increased competition for these positions. We also feel that this saturation of the job market will reduce further the salaries of optometrists as well as increase competition for jobs,’ said a Stop Hertfordshire spokesperson.
The group called on the General Optical Council and the government to introduce a cap on the number of courses available – which it said had been in place for many years in medicine and dentistry.
‘The most recent profession to gain a cap has been pharmacy. However, it is recognised by many that this was put in place too late as the market for pharmacists is already saturated. We want to prevent this from happening in optometry,’ said the group.
The GOC responded by saying that it was important to remember that its role and powers regarding accreditation and quality assurance were defined in legislation and that it was required to consider new applications for accreditation based on whether they meet its standards.
‘We are not able to consider factors such as demand for optometrists or market conditions when considering accreditation applications. Changing this would be a matter for government,’ added a GOC spokesperson.
As Optician went to press, the University of Hertfordshire had not responded to its request for comment on the petition.
